Foreign funding case "biggest scandal" whose central character is Imran Khan: PDM chief Fazlur Rehman

Pakistan Democratic Movement's (PDM) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman on Monday said that the foreign funding case is "the biggest scandal in Pakistan's political history" and its central character is Prime Minister Imran Khan, reported Dawn.

He accused Khan of illegally collecting millions of rupees and using it "for political disruption and election rigging by bringing the money into the country through hundi and other means".

Rehman said the foreign funding case against the ruling PTI has been pending for six years while the Prime Minister took "the mother of NROs" to create political instability in Pakistan and "used funds collected in the name of charity for personal business and spreading chaos, illegally and through secret accounts".

The foreign funding case against the PTI was filed in November 2014 by Akbar S Babar, a founding member of the party. The case relates to allegations of undisclosed foreign funding of the PTI, reported Dawn.

"We will demand the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to immediately give a decision on the crime which has been accepted," he said, adding that further delays were giving rise to doubts and suspicions.

Referring to former premier Nawaz Sharif, Rehman said, on one hand, a decision was issued against an elected prime minister within six months, while a case was pending against a "selected" prime minister for six years. "What kind of justice is this?" he asked.

Ahead of the scheduled march to ECP today (January 19) by PDM - an 11-party alliance against Imran Khan, the Maulana reiterated that PDM members were democratic people and followed the Constitution and law. "We want the freedom of democracy in the country because that is the demand of the Constitution and the law," he added.

"The PDM leadership will enthusiastically stage a protest demonstration in front of the Election Commission regarding the foreign funding case," said the Maulana after a meeting of the PDM steering committee in Islamabad.

The PDM chief appealed to Pakists to participate in the protest for the sake of "national security" and against "obtaining funds from anti-Pakistan lobbies".

The PDM had announced last week that it would stage a demonstration outside the ECP offices in Islamabad on January 19, when the commission is set to resume the hearing of the foreign funding case against the PTI on Tuesday, reported Dawn.

( With inputs from ANI )