ECP rejects PTI plea for Yusuf Raza Gilani’s disqualification

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has rejected a petition by PTI lawmakers seeking disqualification of Senator Yusuf Raza Gilani for alleged “corrupt conduct” and said he has nothing to do with the case.

However, the ECP, while announcing the reserved judgement in the Senate polls video case, directed the district election commissioner Islamabad to file a case for criminal proceedings against Gilani’s son Ali Haider Gilani and PTI MNAs Fahim Khan and Capt (R) Jamil Ahmad Khan.

The criminal proceedings will be under Sections 167 (Corruption) and 168 (Bribery) of the Elections Act 2017. The commission, in its order, said it has been proved that Ali Haider Gillani, Fahim Khan and Jamil Ahmed Khan were involved in corruption.

Following Senate elections on March 3 last year, PTI lawmakers Farrukh Habib, Malika Bukhari and Kanwal Shozaib had filed a petition in the ECP, seeking non-issuance of notification of Gilani's victory as a senator. They had filed the petition on the basis of a leaked audio clip in which Sindh Minister Nasir Hussain Shah allegedly bargained with four PTI lawmakers for their votes in Senate elections and afterwards, a video surfaced in which Ali Haider Gillani was seen apparently with PTI MNAs, explaining to them the ways of wasting votes. The petitioners had claimed that Ali Haider Gillani had bribed members of the National Assembly. They also alleged that PMLN Vice President Maryam Nawaz in her speeches had promised to give PMLN tickets to the legislators in the next general elections in case they vote for Yusuf Raza Gillani in Senate elections.

The order also said that under Sections 167 and 168, the punishment could be three years imprisonment or a fine of Rs 100,000 or both. Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja, during the hearing, said the facts of the case were not presented properly while 20 hearings of the case were held and during this time, 12 adjournment petitions were filed.

Ali Haider Gilani had admitted his conversation with the PTI MNAs but said he was only answering the questions of the legislators as to what should be done if the votes are traced through bar code. He had also clarified that he made no attempt to buy votes for his father.

In this regard, Yusuf Raza Gilani, defending his son, had said he was seeking votes from all MNAs as he had formed an electoral college for Senate elections. He had also contacted then prime minister Imran Khan in this regard.