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Tuesday March 19, 2024

Senate chairman election: PTI reacts to Opposition’s allegations about hidden cameras

Information minister says Opposition leaders are the ones who talk about tactics to waste votes

By Web Desk
March 12, 2021

  • PTI reacts to Opposition's claims of spy cameras being installed inside Senate polling booths
  • PTI says that the ones who installed the cameras are now reporting the incident.
  • Information Minister Shibli Faraz says the Opposition has given an impression that the cameras were deployed by the government.


ISLAMABAD: Soon after the Opposition’s allegations regarding the installment of hidden cameras inside Senate polling booths, PTI has reacted and said that the ones who installed the cameras are now reporting it.

Addressing a press conference in Islamabad with Senator Faisal Javed on Friday, the information minister said that the opposition has given an impression that the cameras were placed by the government.

"We will make sure that this incident is thoroughly investigated. We all know what people were employed inside the building during their [the PPP's] tenure. We will expose who the agents and proxies of PPP and PML-N are," he said.

He said that the Opposition leaders are the ones who talk about tactics to waste votes. “Our main objective is transparency and that is what PM Imran Khan has been struggling for for so long," the minister added.

Expressing his doubts, the federal minister said that the Opposition leaders are the ones who won the election in the National Assembly despite being in a minority. “These people are struggling to hide their corruption,” he asserted.

'James Bond 007'

Shibli said that such incidents will happen again until and unless the concept of open balloting is not introduced and transparency is ensured in elections.

"They are the ones yearning for secret ballot, [devious] tactics and conspiracies," he said.

Referring to PML-N Senator Dr Musadik Malik and PPP Senator Mustafa Nawaz as "James Bond 007", the PTI leader claimed that everything was pre-planned by the Opposition.

On the other hand, Javed said the government has offered the option for open balloting but Opposition leaders have always declined the suggestion.

"We challenge them on open balloting but they are not ready for it. All they want is an NRO [amnesty deal] from Imran Khan."

Opposition claims cameras were hidden inside polling booths

Shortly before the government representatives held their press conference, PML-N Senator Dr Musadik Malik and PPP Senator Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar had addressed the media to claim that cameras were installed in polling booths set up for the election of the Senate chairman and deputy chairman.

The senators had shared what they described as 'evidence' on Twitter hours before the Senate was set to elect its chairman and deputy chairman.

"What a [...] joke. The senate polling booth has secret /hidden cameras installed, " tweeted Dr Musadik Malik along with pictures of the said cameras.