Senate chairman election has been stolen, says Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari

KARACHI: PPP Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari said Friday the Senate chairman election 2021 "has been stolen right in front of the eyes of the people".

Bilawal claimed that the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) — the Opposition parties' anti-government coalition — "has defeated the [PTI] government in the National Assembly and the Senate".

"Their bias and their biased, illegal decision is right in front of you. Seven votes for the chairman of the Senate of Pakistan were cast in favour of Yousaf Raza Gillani.

"Those votes were cast properly, legally, constitutionally, but seven senators of the Senate of Pakistan were purposefully disenfranchised and Gillani sahab, despite winning, has still not sat on that seat in the Senate.

"A vote is 'cast' when the intention of the voter becomes clear. Seven votes were invalidly rejected [but] if these seven votes are added, then Yousaf Raza Gillani has won. Yousaf Raza Gillani has become the chairman of the Senate.

PDM 'exposed the system'

"Those seven votes were in line with whichever Supreme Court precedents you wish to bring up or the stance or position of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), they were legal votes."

The National Assembly and the Senate were also "with the PDM and not with [Prime Minister] Imran Khan", the PPP boss said, lamenting that there were four hidden cameras installed in the upper House of the Parliament.

Noting that the PDM "exposed the system and defeated" the PTI, Bilawal announced that the anti-government alliance had decided to go to the court after consultations with PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz and other Opposition leaders.

'Hope that justice will be served'

"We hope that justice will be served and the high court will rule in our favour," he added, noting that there was "evidence of the Senate secretary telling our people that the stamp mark can be inside the box".

"I also stamped on my name in the general election. This is an open case, we hope we get justice from the courts," Bilawal said.