ECP should question Imran over Senate poll remarks: Sanaullah

KARACHI: Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah weighed in over Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan’s petition against prime minister’s remarks on the Senate elections and shared that the PM should ask the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to probe Imran.

“The biggest proof of PM’s remarks is the press conference of Imran Khan, in which he categorically said that people sold their vote and money was taken. Imran had said that the entire assembly of Balochistan was sold,” remarked Sanaullah while speaking on Geo News' programme Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath Wednesday night.

“I think that PM should write to the ECP that Imran Khan should be called and presented as a witness and Imran should tell the world what he said, this is where the entire issue started from,” he said.

While speaking about Senate chairman's election's controversy, the provincial law minister said that the chair was elected by those whose votes were bought. “This exercise was conducted by forces that have no identity of their own, which are known as na-maloom [unidentified],” he added. 

Earlier in the day, Imran had filed a request in the ECP against Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi’s statement on the Senate elections.

This comes after the prime minister claimed last week that ‘horse trading’ took place in the recently concluded Senate elections.

Last week, Abbasi had said that votes had been ‘sold’ in the elections for the Senate chairman. He had also challenged the PTI chief and Pakistan Peoples Party co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari to say on record that their MPAs were not bought.

"I challenge Imran and Zardari to appear on television and say that MPAs and votes were not bought," he had said.

In his petition, Imran has demanded that the prime minister corroborate his claims before the commission. 

He also said that the remarks made by the prime minister about the “buying and selling” of votes is dangerous and it is something you would not expect from the chief executive of the country.