The Election Commission of Pakistan has given four weeks to the PTI lawyer to submit a response to the show-cause notice regarding the “confiscation” of prohibited funds.

The time limit was given by a three-member commission bench, headed by Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja, during a hearing on Tuesday. The case was adjourned till July 6.

PTI counsel Anwar Mansoor sought time from the commission to present arguments in the case, on which the commission adjourned the hearing for four weeks.

CEC Raja said that the commission cannot postpone the case for an indefinite period of time. The lawyer has to give details regarding the prohibited funds secured from companies, he added.

If the counsel cannot do that, it should inform the court in writing and the commission would give its decision, Raja said.

“At this time, the situation is very serious. Unknown people have taken all the data from the offices, while all the PTI offices have also been shut down,” said the PTI’s counsel.

The party officials have also gone into hiding due to which it was very difficult to obtain the records, he said. “I am trying to obtain records from different sources.”

To this, the ECP’s chief said that political parties usually face such difficult situations.

ECP’s member Nisar Durrani said that both the commission and the defendant have the records. To this, Mansoor replied that they have also sought records from foreign countries. “What argument can I give in the absence of the records?”

The ECP’s chief said that the case was regarding the confiscation of the prohibited funding, while the ECP has given its verdict in the main case. “If you want to challenge the decision of the main case, refer to the relevant forum. The election commission has given the final decision on the main case based on the facts. The ECP started the funding confiscation case 10 months ago.”