ECP reserves ruling on Gilani video scandal

The Election Commission of Pakistan reserved on Monday its decision on a petition filed for the disqualification of Senator Yousuf Raza Gilani of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) in the wake of a video scandal involving his son, Ali Haider Gilani.

During the hearing, the ECP bench asked Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) lawyer Barrister Ali Zafar to continue arguments. Zafar told the bench that in the video, Ali Haider Gilani was telling National Assembly members how to waste a vote. He said that Ali Haider Gilani did not deny the video in a press conference, rather he admitted that he was asking for votes for his father.

Responding to a query from ECP Member Sindh Nisar Durrani about the sting operation, Zafar said there was nothing wrong with making a video of someone offering a bribe in exchange for a vote. He stressed that offering bribes to voters was a corrupt practice.

Durrani asked whether proceedings could be initiated on the basis of offering bribes. The PTI lawyer replied that the offer of bribe was actually a crime. Durrani asked if the members, who were offered bribes, did vote? Zafar replied that the members did vote but it was unknown who voted for whom.

The ECP Member Sindh pointed out that the Supreme Court had given a clear ruling regarding the forensics of the video. Barrister Ali Zafar said that the video had been accepted, so there was no need for forensics.

The bench then inquired the lawyer how the video of Ali Haider Gilani was linked to his father, Yousuf Raza Gilani. Zafar said that Ali Haider Gilani had admitted that he was seeking votes for his father. He pleaded the court to order re-election on the Senate seat.