KARACHI, Pakistan
Pakistan's election authority on Tuesday ruled that former Prime Minister Imran Khan's party received prohibited funding, and issued it a show-cause notice.
The unanimous verdict, announced by a three-member bench of the Election Commission of Pakistan, declared that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) received funds from 351 companies and 34 individuals from US, UK, Australia, United Arab Emirates and other countries.
The individuals included Pakistani-origin business tycoon Arif Naqvi, who is facing money laundering charges in UK and US.
The bench led by Chief Election Commissioner Raja Sikander Sultan, whom the PTI accuses of being biased, also ruled that Khan submitted a "misdeclaration" with the commission regarding party funding.
The election commission also found the PTI guilty of hiding 13 bank accounts.
In the notice, the ECP asked "why the aforementioned prohibited funds may not be confiscated," and referred the matter to the federal government.
While leaders of the governing coalition welcomed the verdict saying the law will take its course, PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry claimed there was no illegality and most of the funds came from overseas Pakistanis.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Twitter that the verdict "chargesheets" Khan "for violating the Constitution, submitting false affidavits & accepting foreign money."
Akbar S. Babar, a founding member of PTI who fell out with Khan and petitioned the election commission in 2014, said his arguments had been accepted and asked Khan to step down from the party.
"Foreign Funding Case PTI Guilty as Accused," he said in a separate tweet.
Khan was prime minister from 2018 until this April when he was ousted in a parliament no-confidence vote.
He says he was removed in a US-sponsored conspiracy, and has been rallying his supporters for a new election, which are due in 2023.
