PPP set to file Petition seeking Senate chairman poll void

PPP senator and former Senate chairman Nayyar Bukhari told a local media outlet that not only the Senate top slot election to be challenged but his party is moving to the Islamabad High Court on Monday morning.

He said, “Unless the senate chairman is appointed, it is not an internal matter of the parliament, it is an election process in which any irregularity can be challenged,”

He added that the record has been obtained from the Senate however the record of rejected ballot papers is not found.  In the petition, the court would be requested to direct the Senate Secretariat to submit the relevant record.

Referring to the position in the petition, he said that the votes of Yousuf Raza Gilani were more than the winning candidate of the ruling coalition Sadiq Sanjarani and the voters intended to vote for Yousuf Raza Gilani.

The petition seeks annulment of the Presiding Officer’s decision of including all rejected votes and the entire election process of Senate Chairman held under his supervision.

However, regarding the Senate Chairman election, few political analysts believed that it was an internal matter of the Parliament and therefore could not be challenged in court.

Earlier on March 12, The upper house of parliament has elected Sadiq Sanjrani as the new chairman.

According to details, Sadiq Sanjrani secured 48 votes for the slot of chairman with a total of 98 votes cast.

Sanjrani obtained 48 votes, whereas Gillani received 42.

Seven votes were rejected for bearing a stamp on Gillani's name and one for having a stamp on both candidates' names, instead of the box allotted next to the names.

The Senate session was marked by a scandal with both opposition and government trading barbs over hidden cameras found in the polling booth.

Syed Muzaffar Hussain Shah presided over the session and also administered the oath-taking ceremony of all 48 newly elected members.

The government had nominated Sadiq Sanjrani as its candidate while the opposition supported former Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gillani, who defeated Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI)’s Abdul Hafeez Shaikh in the recently-held Senate polls.

Gillani’s victory came as a blow for PTI, following which Prime Minister Imran Khan decided to take a vote of confidence from the parliament. PM also accused the opposition of vote-selling and using money to influence the polls.

For the slot of Deputy Chairman, PDM had nominated Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri, while the government has nominated Mirza Muhammad Afridi, who hails from FATA.