Senate chairman election: Gilani files intra-court appeal against IHC's decision

Former prime minister Yousaf Raza Gillani has filed an intra-court appeal in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) against the court's decision regarding the Senate chairman election on Thursday.

The PPP leader, who is also the current Opposition leader in Senate, has sought annulment of the single bench judgment in the intra-court appeal.

Gilani requested the court to quash the presiding officer's decision to reject seven votes, demanding immediate suspension of the presiding officer's decision regarding the Senate election.

An intra-court appeal was filed by Gillani through his lawyer Farooq H Naik, Javed Iqbal Venus, and Barrister Umar Sheikh.

Earlier, IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah had rejected Gillani's plea, challenging Sadiq Sanjrani’s victory as the Senate chairman.

Speaking about the Senate chairman's election results, PPP Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto Zardari had said the PPP would exercise its legitimate right to go to an elevated forum to seek justice under the principle that a presiding officer of a polling station has no right to engineer the polling process and results.

“The PDM candidate Senator Yousaf Raza Gillani had challenged the decision of a presiding officer of the polling station in the Senate Hall. This presiding officer had rejected seven votes identifying them as the ones obtained by Gillani,” he had said in a statement.

On March 12, The PTI government's candidate for the Senate chairman election, Sadiq Sanjrani, had defeated Yousaf Raza Gillani of the Opposition coalition of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), marking a significant victory for the ruling party.

Sanjrani had received 48 votes, while Gillani bagged 42. Eight of the 98 votes in total were rejected, including one that had a stamp on both names.