Senate election: PTI lawmaker moves IHC to challenge Gilani’s victory

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) legislator Ali Nawaz Awan on Tuesday moved Islamabad High Court (IHC) to challenge Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Yousaf Raza Gilani’s victory in Senate elections on 3rd March.

Awan filed a petition against Gilani – the joint candidate of Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) who defeated Abdul Hafeez Shaikh of PTI on a general seat for Senate from Islamabad – nominated his son Syed Ali Haider Gilani and Chief Election of Pakistan (ECP) as respondents in the case.

The petitioner said two days before Senate elections, a video surfaced in electronic and social media, which shows Ali Haider Gilani was involved in horse-trading as he was offering monetary consideration for votes to certain MNAs for his father Gilani.

He continued that the video clips also exposed his instructions how to render one’s vote useless and this is a sheer and daunting violation of the Constitution of Pakistan and the section 168 of the Election Act, 2017.

According to the petition, anther audio tape also surfaced and got viral in social media in which Sindh Information Minister Syed Nasir Hussain Shah had a very clear and unequivocal conversation with Haider Gilani regarding bribing the MNAs for obtaining support in Senate elections 2021.

The petitioner contended that Gilani and his son are guilty of corrupt practices under section 167, 168, 169 and 170.

“Since the elections have been conducted while violating the governing law, the elections are nullity and the culprits are liable to be penalized under section 174 of the Election Act, 2017,” he added.

He prayed the court to issue a writ of quo warranto requiring the ECP to respond under which law Gillani has been allowed to submit his nomination papers.

He requested the court to issue a writ declaring election of Gilani to Senate as unconstitutional, illegal and void ab initio. He also requested the court to issue a writ of prohibition – of interim nature – whereby the notification and his publication as to the success of Gillani may be suspended and stayed.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021