ISLAMABAD: Ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Monday submitted fresh applications to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) seeking the disqualification of recently-elected Senator Yousaf Raza Gillani.
A four-member bench of the commission, headed by its member from Punjab Altaf Ibrahim Qureshi, is hearing the set of petitions, seeking the former prime minister’s disqualification on the basis of a video wherein his son Ali Haider Gillani was seen telling two ruling MPs technique to get their votes rejected.
The party has named the two MPs — Faheem Khan and Jamil Ahmed — as respondents in the case.
“In our view, Faheem Khan and Jamil Ahmed are both witnesses in the case,” said PTI leader Maleeka Bokhari, adding: “It was on ECP’s directives that the witnesses have been nominated as respondents.”
She further said if the commission believed any PTI MP has committed a wrong, it should proceed against it.
Irshad Qaiser, ECP’s member from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, said directives of the election commission have not been implemented in letter and spirit.
When the ECP asked Bokhari as to which PTI’s petition should be heard: the first one or the fresh one, she the commission’s job is to ensure transparency however it deems fit.
Later, speaking to the reporters outside the ECP offices, Bukhari and Farrukh Habib, another PTI MP, said today the party had raised the issue of public interest in the election commission.
Maleeka said mockery of law and the constitution was made on March 3. She called on the party workers and supporters to always stand by the truth. “If you show perseverance, then none could defeat you,” she said and warned if the ECP did not announce a verdict in the case soon, then eyebrows would be raised.
She said the nation had witnessed the sale and purchase of votes during Senate elections just because those indulging in this practice are rich and affluent.
She regretted despite the fact that Ali Gillani had confessed to having told PTI MPs the technique to waste their votes ahead of elections, the election commission did not take any action.
Imran Khan and his party are constantly doing things in the misery of losing elections that do not make any sense. In fact, Imran Khan thought that with the help of the army, he would always win elections in the same way as he took over the power of Pakistan. But this time the public has taught Imran Khan a good lesson and at the same time has sent a message to the Pakistan Army that military intervention will not work in democracy. Now Imran Khan and his party are putting undue pressure on the Election Commission to avoid the embarrassment of losing elections.