Bilawal accuses presiding officer of being biased

Crying foul play in the election for Senate chairman and deputy chairman, Pakistan People’s Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto has accused the presiding officer of being biased.

The Senate chairman election has been ‘stolen’ and fraud polls will be challenged in the court, he told the media on Friday. The ruling PTI declared seven votes invalid illegally and unlawfully, Bilawal said citing the Supreme Court rulings and ECP precedents in connection with the validity of votes.

A total of 98 senators exercised their right to vote and Sadiq Sanjrani of the ruling party got 48 votes while Yousaf Raza Gilani 42 and seven votes were rejected. Bilawal said the votes that were rejected as invalid were cast in favour of Gilani. He said the PDM has consensus over the matter.

Other PDM leaders also took a swipe at the government for going for unfair means to win the seats of chairman and deputy chairman of the upper house of the parliament.

PML-N leader Ahsan Iqbal said that the senators who had stamped on the name of the candidate on the ballot paper cannot be considered rejected and should be counted as Gilani’s votes.

Former prime minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf said the government-backed candidate was defeated despite all the efforts from the government. "Today the parliament was insulted. Chairman Senate has been selected today," he added.