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Thursday March 28, 2024

PM asks committee to look into PTI members' 'vote buying' in 2018 Senate polls

A recently surfaced video allegedly shows PTI members accepting large sums of money ahead of the 2018 Senate polls

By Web Desk
February 11, 2021
Prime Minister Imran Khan. — AFP/File

Prime Minister Imran Khan has formed a three-member committee to look into a recently surfaced video that allegedly shows PTI members accepting large sums of money ahead of the 2018 Senate polls.

The committee will comprise Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry, Minister for Human Rights Shireen Mazari and Adviser to the PM on Accountability Shahzad Akbar. The three members will conduct a detailed probe into the events that transpired and submit a report to the premier containing recommendations.

Following the 2018 Senate elections, 20 PTI members were dismissed from the party after reports of them "selling their votes" surfaced.

Former PTI members Zahid Durrani and Obaid Mayar, who are visible in the video, were among those to have been dismissed at the time.

KP Minister for Law Sultan Muhammad — who was part of the Qaumi Watan Party in 2017 but joined PTI prior to the 2018 general elections — was also asked to resign after he was seen in the video.

Durrani and Mayar have alleged that the money was distributed by the KP government in the presence of Minister for Defence Pervez Khattak and National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser.

These allegations will also be probed by the committee.