ECP moves to register ‘corrupt practice’ case against Ali Gilani, PTI MPAs

Rejects PTI's petition seeking disqualification of Senator Yousaf Raza Gilani and son in 'video scandal' case

ISLAMABAD:

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) directed the district election commissioner on Friday to register a case of corrupt practice against Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) MPA Ali Haider Gilani and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) MPAs Captain (retd) Jamil and Fahim Khan.

However, the ECP rejected the petition seeking disqualification of Senator Yousuf Raza Gilani and his son MPA Ali Haider Gilani in the case of the senate election video scandal.

Earlier, PTI members Farrukh Habib, Maleeka Bukhari, Kanwal Shozab and Alia Hamza had filed disqualification petitions against Ali Haider Gilani, including a petition against his Yousuf Raza Gilani.

The chief election commissioner stated that the facts of the case were not presented properly. Therefore, the electoral watchdog ruled that there was no direct evidence against Senator Yousuf Raza Gilani and he will remain in his post.

Read ECP seeks reply from Gilani, son in Senate video scandal case

On April 10, the ECP rejected the claim of former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi that the body deliberately prolonged the video scandal case against Senator Yousaf Raza Gilani.

Sources told The Express Tribune that final arguments in the case took place on April 5. The video scandal involves Gilani and his son Ali Haider Gilani. Gilani’s son can be clearly seen in the video trying to bribe senators to vote for his father ahead of the Senate elections.

However, the sources in the commission accused Qureshi of “misleading” the lawmakers and the people on the floor of the lower house of parliament.

Sources also revealed that the disqualification case was mostly delayed by the petitioners, who sought adjournment 10 out of 17 times.

They disclosed that the electoral watchdog did not adjourn the case even once.