ISLAMABAD -  The Islamabad High Court (IHC) Friday rejected PTI Chairman Imran Kha’s plea to stay the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP)’s orders in party funding case against the PTI.

A single bench of IHC comprising Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani conducted the hearing of the petition moved by PTI Chairman and dismissed the same.

Justice Kayani remarked that the case has been pending with the ECP since 2014. Earlier, the IHC bench had remanded this case back to ECP with directions to decide afresh while keeping in view the objections raised by PTI.

However, the IHC bench issued notices to the respondents seeking their reply in the main petition.

PTI through its chairman Imran Khan has moved the petition seeking court’s directions to declare that ECP has no jurisdiction to hear and decide complaints filed by private citizens questioning sources of party funds.

It was May 8, 2017 when the ECP had decided the matter with respect to jurisdiction, secondly whether foreign funds received by PTI were passed and closed transactions and also decided ‘locus standi’ of the complainant Akbar S Babar.

In its detailed judgment issued on May 31, the ECP said that it has jurisdiction to question sources of party funds and Akbar S Babar has locus standi as he is still a party member.

In his petition, Imran Khan has again raised a matter before the court that is pertaining to the application of Akbar S Babar. Babar in his application before the ECP has been questioning sources of foreign funds to PTI.

On the other hand, PTI has been contending that ECP has no jurisdiction to question the party about sources of their party funds and Babar as a private person cannot file an application before the ECP.

In this petition, Imran Khan has prayed to the court to suspend ECP’s May 8 order and declare it as illegal and void. Petitioner further requested the court to declare that the accounts submitted by the petitioner are past and closed transactions and to declare that Babar has no ‘locus standi’ in this matter.