Nawaz Sharif wants reference filed against PTI in SC within 48 hours

• Nawaz Sharif says no concession should be provided to those who create instability on agenda of anti-national elements.
• Coalition parties decide to hold rallies against PTI across country.
• QWP chief Aftab Sherpao says government has to control inflation.

ISLAMABAD: PML-N supremo has advised the coalition government to file a reference against the PTI in the Supreme Court within 48 hours, sources told Geo News on Wednesday.

Nawaz had called for filing the reference while speaking during a meeting of the coalition government’s partners held at the Prime Minister's House with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in the chair.

Party officials privy to the meeting shared that Nawaz stressed "providing no concession to those who create instability on the agenda of anti-national elements", adding that former prime minister Imran Khan was directly involved in the rollback of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and "selling of Kashmir".

On the other hand, Qaumi Watan Party chief Aftab Sherpao said that the coalition government has to deliver now and control inflation.

The meeting also decided that all the coalition parties will hold rallies against the PTI across the country.

As per the plan, MQM will lead rallies in Karachi and PPP in Hyderabad and Sukkur, JUI-F in Peshawar, PkMAP and BNP-Mengal in Quetta, and PML-N in Lahore, Rawalpindi and Islamabad.

ECP says PTI received prohibited funds

The PML-N supremo was asking the coalition government to file a reference against PTI in the Supreme Court on the Election Commission of Pakistan's (ECP) decision in the prohibited funding case.

ECP, in a unanimous verdict on Tuesday, said it has found that the PTI received prohibited funding.

The case was earlier referred to as the "foreign funding" case, but later the election commission accepted the PTI's plea to refer to it as the "prohibited funding" case.

The commission found that donations were taken from America, Australia, Canada and the UAE.

PTI received funds from 34 individuals and 351 businesses including companies, the ECP verdict states.

Thirteen unknown accounts have also come to light, said the commission in the verdict, adding that hiding accounts are a "violation" of Article 17 of the Constitution.

Article 17 (2) of the Constitution states: "...law shall provide that where the Federal Government declares that any political party has been formed or is operating in a manner prejudicial to the sovereignty or integrity of Pakistan, the Federal Government shall, within fifteen days of such declaration, refer the matter to the Supreme Court whose decision on such reference shall be final."

Article 17 (3) states: "Every political party shall account for the source of its funds in accordance with the law."

The funds were also in violation of Article 6 of the Political Parties Act.

Moreover, the ECP found that PTI Chairman Imran Khan submitted a false Nomination Form I and that the affidavit provided regarding party accounts was false.

The ECP has issued a show-cause notice to PTI to explain why their prohibited funds should not be confiscated.

The election commission office should also start the rest of the process according to the law, the ECP ruled.