Debate on foreign funding to political parties is global
National
January 23, 2021
LAHORE: When almost all mainstream political parties in Pakistan are accusing each other of receiving funds from prohibited foreign sources, a research by the Jang Group and Geo Television Network shows that fiery debates on this thorny issue have been going on everywhere in the world for years.
In India, where foreign funding to political parties remains illegal, the Delhi High Court, in 2014, had found both ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its key adversary, the Indian National Congress, guilty of receiving foreign funding.
In India, the conduct of elections to the Houses of Parliament and state legislatures is mainly regulated by the 1951 Representation of the People Act. Section 29B of the 1951 Act prohibits all political parties registered with the Election Commission from accepting any contribution from a “foreign source.”