Senate election: PM Imran questions ECP’s responsibility, transparency

Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday raised questions on Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP)’s responsibilities and transparency in the recently concluded Senate elections.

In his highly-anticipated address, Imran Khan explained the explained the political situation in the country that emerged after Wednesday's Senate elections in which the opposition managed to stage an upset.

"This is important because what problems our nation suffers from stem from the very situation that unfolded yesterday," said Imran Khan.

He said when Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) took part in Senate election six years ago, he realise that “money is used” in the polls for the upper house.

"So I was surprised when I came to know and since then I started a campaign that what joke is happening with our democracy? What kind of democracy is this?" he said.

Khan said that in the 2018 Senate elections, the party found that 20 lawmakers "sold themselves off".

"But it was not just me. The PML-N and PPP signed a Charter of Democracy favouring the open balloting method because money rules in the Senate elections," he continued.

"We presented a bill in the parliament for open balloting in Senate elections. When other parties who previously supported open balloting did not support our demand, we went to the Supreme Court,” said PM Imran.

Commenting on the Opposition said the they only want to bring a no-confidence motion against PM by defeating government-backed candidate Hafeez Shaikh in the Senate, adding that they [opposition] only want to create pressure on the prime minister.

“They [opposition] bought our lawmakers by using money just to defeat Hafeez Sheikh,” he added.

Moreover, PM Imran announced that he will seek seek vote of confidence from National Assembly on Saturday.