Video scandal: Gilani’s son says conscience clear, ready to appear at any forum

• MPA Syed Ali Haider Gilani says he did not commit or violate any law in meeting with PTI legislators.
  
• Gilani regrets that the government cronies were subjecting him to a slanderous campaign of exaggerations and outright lies.
  
• He says that he had already presented his stance and was ready to respond at any legal forum in the future.

MULTAN: PPP parliamentary leader in Punjab Assembly Syed Ali Haider Gilani has said that his conscience was clear and that he did not commit or violate any law in meeting with the PTI legislators, The News reported on Monday.

A video of Gilani had emerged last week in which he was reportedly telling four PTI MNAs about how to waste their votes. His father, Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani, won the contest in the National Assembly beating the government’s nominee Dr Abdul Hafeez Sheikh for the Senate seat from Islamabad.

Speaking to journalists in Multan, Gilani regretted that the government cronies were subjecting him to a slanderous campaign of exaggerations and outright lies for the past couple of days.

“I had already presented my stance and ready to respond at any legal forum in the future. The selected rulers lack ethical values,” he said.

Recalling that he had spent three years of his life in captivity surrounded by hopelessness and in circumstances unimaginable for most people, the PPP lawmaker said that he had delivered a lot for the country and democracy.

“My abduction and captivity have strengthened my resolve for democracy, commitments, and his belief in God,” he added.

He said that he felt pride while standing with his party, democracy, and father in the struggle for parliamentary supremacy, warning that those hatching a campaign against him and attacking that their threats can never, ever weaken his commitments and resolve for democracy.

Controversial video

One day before the hotly-contested Senate polls, the video of Ali Haider Gilani, allegedly instructing PTI lawmakers on how their votes can be wasted, had surfaced on social media.

Read more: Video surfaces of Ali Haider Gilani allegedy telling lawmaker how to waste his Senate vote

He had admitted the video shows him but refuted claims of buying Senate votes.

Ali Haider Gilani responded to the allegations by holding a news conference, saying that he had met a lot of people whilst campaigning for the Senate elections.

He had lashed out at the prime minister, saying that he had attempted to earn lawmakers' loyalty by issuing development funds for them.

Gilani said that he had met the PTI lawmakers to secure the vote for his father, adding that it was his right to do so by law. "Not just once, I will meet them a hundred times as it is my right to do so," he had said. "We have sought the 'votes by conscience' in every election. We don't believe in buying or selling votes or securing them through intimidation."

Ali Haider Gilani said the PTI lawmakers had told him they wanted to vote for Yousaf Raza Gilani but were worried the PTI leadership would check their votes.

"They asked me what to do if their votes were checked," claimed Ali Haider Gilani. "To which I told them to fold their votes while casting them, which would benefit Yousaf Raza Gilani," he added.

Ali Haider Gilani said he didn't know who had recorded the video.