Tag: SenateElections2021

  • Senate Election: After Gillani’s video, Sindh minister’s alleged audio suggests horse-trading

    Senate Election: After Gillani’s video, Sindh minister’s alleged audio suggests horse-trading

    As lawmakers elect colleagues to the upper house of the Parliament amid controversies, Sindh Information Minister Nasir Hussain Shah has purportedly been heard in a leaked audio making assurances to ruling party lawmakers.

    The audio clip being reported as a conversation between Punjab MPA Ali Haider Gillani and Shah emerged shortly after a video of former prime minister Yusuf Raza Gillani’s son instructing a lawmaker on how his vote can be wasted in the Senate election went viral on social media.

    In the audio, two people can be heard talking about offers of millions of rupees to PTI lawmakers ahead of the Senate polls.

    Ali can allegedly be heard saying that he spoke to Shah, who asked him to bring down the “offer”. An assurance is given in the audio that development work will be done in constituencies as per the wishes of PTI lawmakers.

    “We could carry out uplift projects worth around Rs100 million,” said a voice being attributed to Ali.

    The son of the Senate candidate allegedly said it would be difficult to carry money if payments are made in cash as it would attract attention.

    The same voice further said that ‘friends’ (PTI lawmakers) were standing with him and wanted to talk to the provincial information minister.

    “Tell four of them that they would be taken care of,” another man responded. The voice is said to be of Shah.

    The provincial information minister has denied that the voice is his.

  • Vawda resigns from National Assembly after casting his Senate vote

    The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Wednesday reserved its judgement in the case seeking Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Faisal Vawda’s disqualification. Prior to this development, Vawda cast his vote for the Upper House and resigned from his National Assembly seat, The Express Tribune has reported.

    Read more – Aamir Liaquat trolls Vawda over award of Senate ticket

    A single bench of the IHC comprising Justice Aamer Farooq was hearing the petition moved against the federal minister by Barrister Jahangir Jadoon. During the hearing, Vawda’s counsel argued that the case against him in the court stands ineffective following his resignation.

    However, Jadoon objected to the argument, stating that several members of the assembly resigned from their seats and joined the parliament again in the past. He added that a person remains a member of the assembly unless the Speaker of the National Assembly accepts the resignation.

    Faisal Vawda was a dual national at the time of filing nomination papers for 2018’s General Election and concealed his American citizenship by falsely declaring on the oath he submitted to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).

  • ‘I was there’: Ali Haider Gillani reacts to leaked video

    With less than 24 hours to go, another controversy has come to the fore regarding the Senate elections.

    A leaked video of Ali Haider Gillani – son of former Prime Yousaf Raza Gillani – was aired by ARY News, where he is heard talking about how to waste Senate vote.

    It seems that the other person is from the ruling party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). According to reports, the video was recorded a week ago.

    Addressing a press conference after the leaked video was aired, Ali Haider Gillani admitted the video was real and that he met more than one MNA over the course of campaigning for his father.

    He said he was not buying votes but was telling PTI member of how to waste his vote as that member did not want to vote for his own party.

    “Where do I talk about money in the video? I did no wrong. This is to distract us.”

    The Election Commission of Pakistan has taken notice of the video and Gillani’s response and will be taking up the issue.

    https://twitter.com/profaltafkhan/status/1366783802849296386?s=21

    Yousaf Raza Gillani will face Finance Minister Abdul Hafeez Sheikh in the Senate elections.

  • Senate Election on March 3 will be conducted as per past practice: ECP

    Senate Election on March 3 will be conducted as per past practice: ECP

    The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Tuesday said that it deliberated on the order/opinion of the Supreme Court passed yesterday in Presidential Reference and has “decided to implement it in letter and spirit”.

    In a statement, the ECP said that it is taking all possible steps and measures to fulfil its constitutional duty to check that corrupt practices in the Senate Elections are guarded against.

    The ECP has decided to constitute a committee in this regard so that they can give their recommendations regarding the use of technology in the Senate Elections within a period of four weeks.

    The ECP has decided that “due to time constraint, ensuing Senate Election scheduled for March 3, 2021 will be conducted as provided in the Constitution and Law as per past practice”.

    https://twitter.com/profaltafkhan/status/1366629264746020866

    In a short order issued yesterday, the Supreme Court observed that the Senate Elections are held in accordance with the law and the Constitution, saying it “is the responsibility of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to protect the polls from the menace of corruption”.

    Federal Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry tweeted that though the Supreme Court’s opinion on the matter was different, the ECP’s decision to delay the use of technology till the next Senate polls was astonishing.

    He added that both the apex court and ECP are respectable for him.

    All eyes will be on former prime minister Yousaf Raza Gillani’s election tomorrow.

    He is contesting as the joint candidate of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) against PTI’s Finance Minister Hafeez Sheikh.

    The election between Gillani and Sheikh is important as a Gillani win would prepare the ground for a no-trust vote against Prime Minister Imran.

    Meanwhile, the premier is taking this contest quite seriously and is leading the Senate campaign for the government. He held back-to-back meetings with lawmakers on Monday and will also host a luncheon today for National Assembly lawmakers.