ISLAMABAD: Following Pakistan Democratic Movement’s (PDM) joint candidate Yousaf Raza Gillani’s election as a senator after defeating Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) candidate Abdul Hafeez Shaikh on Wednesday, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari once again called for Prime Minister Imran Khan’s resignation.
Speaking alongside newly-elected senator, Gillani, the PPP chief said that the former prime minister would be their candidate for the Senate chairman slot, and they would get him elected to the coveted post.
In a reference to his mother Benazir Bhutto’s famous statement, the scion of the Bhutto dynasty said that whatever injustice of oppression they had gone through, it has been proved that democracy is the best revenge.
“Everyone has seen the result of no-confidence in the government’s policies,” he said, adding that the Prime Minister [Imran Khan] should now resign. We will now be attacking the incumbent government from every side and will send them packing as soon as possible,” the PPP chairman said.
He claimed that “a new era is starting in Pakistan’s democratic journey”. He thanked the PDM leadership and said that Gillani’s win was a win for all democratic forces in Pakistan. “This puppet government has lost from its own parliament and the people of Pakistan have won.”
Speaking on the occasion, Gillani thanked all parties of the PDM for supporting him in securing a win on the Senate seat. “PDM won all the Senate elections, besides also winning the key seat of Senate from Islamabad,” he said, adding that PML-N supreme leader Nawaz Sharif has congratulated him on the win and they would visit Shehbaz Sharif to meet him soon.
PML-N supremo Nawaz and Vice President Maryam Nawaz also took to Twitter to congratulate Gillani and the opposition alliance’s.
“I heartily congratulate Gillani over his success in Senate election,” Nawaz said.
Maryam commended the PML-N MNAs for accepting the party supremo’s stance and “refusing to bow down and sell out”.
“Well done PML-N! The future is yours,” said Maryam.
In another post, she claimed that “the fake mandate has been snatched back by the people’s representatives”.
“Their own people, despite the pressure on them, refused to vote for […] (Prime Minister) Imran Khan,” she said, adding that the premier now had no right to occupy the Prime Minister House.
Sindh Education Minister Saeed Ghani congratulated Bilawal on the “historical win” of Gillani and the PDM.
PML-N senior leader Ahsan Iqbal said after Gillani’s win, Prime Minister Imran should resign tonight. “Imran and his ministers can’t even cast their votes properly; how can they run a country?” he questioned in a tweet.
Separately, PPP Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari said that the victory of PDM candidate in Senate elections from Islamabad seat by five votes was less than the expectation.
“I was expecting more votes for Yousuf Raza Gillani,” Zardari said after the PDM’s candidate secured five more votes in the polls than their strength, defeating the ruling coalition’s candidate, Shaikh.
The former president said that they should have won by 20 votes.
Responding to an announcement from Bilawal regarding elevating the newly-elected senator from Islamabad as the upper house’s chairman, Zardari said that the final decision in this regard would be made by the PDM.
He said that some people had approached him, however, he asked his men to show them the door. He further said that he was in a better condition as his medical treatment is ongoing.
Earlier in the day, Bilawal said that it would be a bonus if Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) got even one additional vote in the Senate elections.
The PPP chairman said in his statement that it had been revealed to the nation that the incumbent puppet government’s own members are afraid of it. We would together send the rulers packing, he stressed.
Bilawal said: “The party which got our candidate disqualified one day before the polls are now in a panic. The government which was thinking to easily win the elections is now worried that it will be sent home.”
The PPP leader said that the prime minister would be “ousted” with the collective effort of the people and the opposition.
“We will get him [Prime Minister Imran Khan] out of here together. PDM is with the people,” Bilawal said.
Moreover, Gillani claimed that he has won the polls beforehand and his opponent from PTI, Shaikh, would not receive votes.
The erstwhile premier spoke to the media and said PDM’s purpose has already been fulfilled. Commenting over his son Ali Haider Gillani’s leaked video, he claimed that the footage was planted.
Prior to the election, PML-N leader and former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi instructed the party MPs to vote for PDM’s joint candidate Gillani.
Abbasi, while chairing a meeting of the party’s parliamentary body attended by 80 PML-N MPs, directed them to reach parliament by 11:00 am to vote for Gillani.
He also conveyed a special message from PML-N supremo and deposed prime minister Nawaz and party President Shehbaz, directing all the parliamentarians to stay in Islamabad until the completion of polling.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, PML-N spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb said: “Now is the time for [Prime Minister] Imran Khan to go home.”
“The parliamentary party meeting discussed the Senate election and the arrest of vote thieves in Daska and demanded that the facts about the abduction of 20 presiding officers be brought to light,” she said.
Marriyum said that the government was still in power due to the support of the coalition parties. “If the coalition leaves, the government will fall at once,” she declared.
She said that Shehbaz, and other detained parliamentarians including Khawaja Asif and Khursheed Shah would come to the assembly to cast their votes.
Imran Khan, with the help of the Pakistani army, occupied the power of Pakistan and for this, the army was rigged in the last elections. The Pakistani army wanted a prime minister who would act on the gestures of the army and Imran Khan is doing exactly that. But now the defeat of Imran’s candidate in these elections has proved that the public was not in his favor. If seen in this way, this decision of the public is not only against Imran, but also against the Pakistani army. It seems as if the people of Pakistan are now slowly understanding that military intervention in politics is dangerous for democracy.
Yes and give this man the PM’ship coz it’s his birth right. he didnt even do 1 hour of job or earned a single rupee with his own effort. By the way Pakistan is still behaving like a “Crowd” and not a nation. A Crowd of lawless snatchers who keep blaming the military. It’s a shame really that a leader like Imran Khan who at least has a vision is a failure here.