PDM to challenge rejection of seven votes cast
Opposition alliance Pakistan Democratic Movement PDM has announced; it will challenge in court the rejection of seven votes cast in favor of their candidate Yousaf Raza Gillani; who lost the Senate chairman election to Sadiq Sanjrani by six votes.
Opposition leaders held a joint press conference outside Parliament House; in which Raja Pervez Ashraf said that the manner in which Gillani was defeated
despite the opposition’s majority in the upper house of parliament is reprehensible.
He also questioned how it came to be that six hidden cameras had been installed in the House.
He said that a directive was issued to stamp the vote inside the space allotted for a candidate’s name.
“Seven members stamped their vote inside the space allotted for Gillani; on his name,” he said.
Ashraf said that the opposition hopes that Gillani will emerge victorious in court.
He said that the government
“used every tactic to steal the election” and the chairman has appointed after the opposition’s majority having been denied to them.
“If Sanjarani was a lover of democracy, he would have resigned himself,” he said.
PML-N General Secretary Ahsan Iqbal claimed that PDM “succeeded today”.
Did Gilani get 49 votes to be Chairman?
“We got 49 votes but Yousaf Raza Gilani has defeated after seven votes have got rejected,” he said.
Iqbal also read out the Supreme Court’s earlier rulings on the matter during the press conference;
And said that the court ruled that the voter’s intention has to be seen.
“Stamping the name box means that the voter has the right intent and [aims to vote for that candidate],” he said.
He said that dozens of decisions by the Supreme Court and the High Court: and rulings of the Election Commission that the ballot has valid even if the vote was stamped above the name.
“Rules clearly state that the vote must simply stamp inside the candidate’s box,” he said, adding:
“The voter that stamped the name is not wrong to do so.”
The PML-N leader said that all seven of the votes stamped within the box of the candidate.
We will challenge the rejection of votes in court and expect it to rectify this decision,” he said.
The government candidate for the chairmanship of the Senate Sadiq Sanjrani got 48 votes,
Whereas PDM member Yousaf Raza Gillani got 42 votes after which Sanjrani has elected as the Senate Chairman.
Seven voters stamped their vote on top of Gillani’s name which resulted in the ejection of these votes.
One vote has rejected because both candidates’ names have stamped.
The writer is Freelancer, associated with Medical Profession ,working towards PhD in Healthcare Management.
