Vote buying in Senate elections: Committee decides to call journalist who released video

ISLAMABAD: The committee constituted by the Prime Minister, Imran Khan, to probe the vote buying in the 2018 Senate elections in its first meeting held Saturday decided the procedure to be followed.

The committee was comprised of Federal Minister for Science and Technology Chaudhry Fawad Hussain, Federal Minister for Human Rights Shireen Mazari and Advisor to PM on Accountability and Interior Shehzad Akbar.

The committee recognised the undermining of democracy by vote purchasing especially in Senate elections which have been regularly subjected to this malpractice, said a news release issued here. The committee decided to make the minister of human rights office as the secretariat of the committee and decided the procedure to be followed.

The committee decided to invite the journalist who released the video on the media and to request those who might have firsthand information or knowledge of the incident to share it with the committee either in writing or in person.

The committee would probe who were the beneficiaries of the purchased votes and who allegedly provided the money to purchase the votes of MPAs. The committee would also recommend actions to be taken.