ECP again rejects PTI plea to block Gillani’s victory notification

By Muhammad JuniadPublished On 06 Jan 2023

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) once again on Wednesday turned down the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s (PTI) plea seeking to stop the issuance of notification of Senator-elect Yousaf Raza Gillani’s victory.

The commission earlier today reserved its decision after hearing arguments of Senator-elect from Punjab Barrister Ali Zafar, who represented the petitioners.

Parliamentary Leader for Railways Farrukh Habib, MNA Kanwal Shauzab, and Malika Bukhari today moved the amended petition as per directives of the ECP that had rejected the party’s similar petition yesterday and directed it to file a petition afresh making the lawmakers, who it alleged had been bribed to switch loyalties in last week’s Senate elections, a party.

The ruling party challenged Yousaf Raza Gillani’s victory on the basis of a leaked video in which his son Ali Haider Gillani was purportedly advising MNAs on how to waste their vote if they don’t want to vote for the government’s candidate.

Retired Justice Altaf Ibrahim, an ECP member from Punjab, had asked for making those alleged to have been bribed as the party in the case.

However, the petitioner’s counsel, Senator-elect from Punjab Barrister Ali Zafar suggested that they could be summoned as witnesses.