Foreign funding case: Why opposition is pushing for quick ruling, says Firdous Ashiq
 

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Core Committee, chaired by Prime Minister Imran Khan on Sunday, discussed the foreign funding case and formed a strategy to deal with the issue.Imran Khan handed over an important task related to the foreign funding case to the PTI legal wizard Babar Awan. Briefing media persons here about the decisions, Prime Minister's Special Assistant on Information and Broadcasting Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan said the committee not only condemned the incident of desecration of the Holy Quran but also reiterated Prime Minister Imran Khan’s stance that the narrative of Islamophobia is disastrous for international peace. “It hurts sentiments of billions of the Muslims living across the world, and provides oxygen to extremist ideology,” she emphasised.Dr Firdous said the government would present a resolution at both the EU and OIC levels to discourage matters which negatively affect Muslims’ emotions and sentiments. Imran Khan told the meeting that the desecration of the Holy Quran in Norway was the latest example of Islamophobia and insisted that such disgusting acts were totally unacceptable.Referring to the PTI foreign funding case, she wondered as to why the opposition wanted the case to be decided by the chief election commissioner before he retires, and emphasised that the Election Commission ofPakistan (ECP) was not under any obligation to follow the orders of the opposition."There is something suspicious going on here and one wonders why the opposition is so adamant on having the foreign funding case decided by the Election Commission when it had accused it in the first place of holding rigged elections last year,” she pointed out, and noted that now the rivals had asked the same electoral body to decide this case.“The same opposition has been alleging that our mandate is fake, and now wants the same Election Commission to give decision on the funding case,” she pointed out. The special assistant contended why was the opposition in such a hurry to have the case decided by the ECP and said the due course of law and procedure be followed, as the government and PTI was for across the board accountability and not targeting any particular party.The PTI, she noted, had already filed applications for the audit of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), and the Election Commission should hold their accountability at the same time and of other political parties. She regretted that the opposition was unleashing negative propaganda against Prime Minister Imran Khan and PTI, using the Election Commission and the case.The special assistant said the core committee also decided to effectively counter the fake propaganda against the ruling party over foreign funding case in the Election Commission. She said the PTI legal team would take the media into confidence today (Monday) regarding the facts of the case and also had already presented its record before the Election Commission.“Opposition wants to link its hopes and wishes with the Election Commission’s decision after having nothing left to defend with regard to their corruption,” she noted.Referring to the use of term foreign funding case, she said that this was not the suitable term for the support Pakistani diaspora had been extending to Imran Khan and PTI, seeing them as the only hope for Pakistan.She said the PTI legal team had been asked to effectively present party's point of view in the ECP and the media to end disinformation and fake news. On economic situation in the country, Dr Firdous said the committee commended efforts of the prime minister and his economic team for successfully handling economic challenges like current account deficit, trade deficit and circular debt.Imran Khan said an effective and comprehensive strategy should be evolved with the cooperation of the provincial governments to overcome inflation and unemployment in the country and to transfer dividends of improved economic indicators to the people.Dr Firdous said the committee also presented various proposals regarding industrialisation, ease of doing business and revamping economy of the country. She said short and long-term economic policies also came under discussion during the meeting.The special assistant said the committee also decided to apprise the people about mega projects completed by the PTI government and the forum authorised Prime Minister Imran Khan to implement his strategies to ensure good governance in the country.Imran Khan, she noted, had directed to complete restructuring of the party on emergency basis to strengthen local bodies system and this process should be finalised before local government elections.Replying to questions, she said that what Imran Khan said in his speech in Mianwali was the reflection of the sentiments and speculations being expressed by the masses with regard to the health reports of Nawaz Sharif. She insisted that to end these speculations, credible diagnosis report should be issued, being important for his political survival as well.Dr Firdous pointed out that so far, nothing about diagnosis had come up about Nawaz. She proposed that a board of experts or a physician of international repute should diagnose Nawaz. PML-N spokesperson, she insisted, must pay attention to this aspect of the matter.The government, she said, had given relief to former PM on the basis of medical reports and the medical board’s recommendations and the court had also based its judgment thereon.http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/com/cwEr/~4/plBzOsLPusQ

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