ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Tuesday heard the petition filed by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders seeking disqualification of Yousaf Raza Gilani from the Senate seat.
During the hearing on the matter of Ali Haider Gillani’s video scandal, PTI lawyer Barrister Ali Zafar, Parliamentary Secretary for Railways Farrukh Habib and Member of the National Assembly Kanwal Shauzab appeared before the four-member commission headed by Justice ® Altaf Ibrahim Qureshi and recorded their arguments.
Altaf Qureshi observed that the Commission would take action only on concrete evidence. “We want justice to be seen to be done. Retract this petition and file a new one,” he instructed Zafar.
The PTI’s lawyer argued that the government had 180 and the opposition had only 160 members, and based on the numbers alone, Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh should have won the contest.
He claimed that the votes were being bought with money and offering party tickets. In the video surfaced on March 2, Ali Haider Gillani, the candidate’s son, could be allegedly seen offering bribe to the (PTI) members to buy their votes. He could be heard in the video, telling the PTI lawmakers how to cancel their votes.
He said in one of the videos, Rs 50 to 60 million was offered as bribe to the lawmakers in exchange for votes in the Senate elections. Government funds totaling Rs 100 million for development works in their constituencies were also offered, he added.
Meanwhile, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) withdrew its petition seeking inquiry into the matter over ECP’s directives to file a new plea.
Subsequently, the hearing was adjourned till Wednesday.

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