ECP notifies winners of the Senate election

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Wednesday rejected a request from Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) challenging the victory of Yousaf Raza Gillani in recent Senate elections and issued a notification cementing the win; as well as rejecting a petition seeking to stop the issuance of the notification of senator-elect Faisal Vawda’s victory.

Vawda, who appeared in the hearing in person along with his new counsel, was directed to appear again and submit his answers to the body in the next hearing on March 18.

The hearing was presided by the commission’s member from Punjab Altaf Ibrahim Qureshi.

During the proceedings, Vawda’s counsel sought more time to prepare for the case. But the petitioner, Barrister Jahangir Jadoon, said the minister himself was present to answer the objections raised.

“Faisal Vawda lied about his dual citizenship,” he claimed. At this, Qureshi pointed out that several columns were left empty in Vawda’s nomination papers for the National Assembly in the 2018 general elections.

In January last year, a report published in an English publication disclosed the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader was a dual national at the time of filing his nomination papers.

He submitted his nomination papers on June 11, 2018, which were approved by the ECP a week later on June 18. However, Vawda applied for the renunciation of his nationality with the US consulate at Karachi four days on June 22, 2018, the report had revealed.

Last week, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) held Vawda responsible for submitting a false affidavit regarding his nationality and directed the ECP to proceed against him under Article 62(1)(F) of the Constitution deals with disqualification.

During Wednesday’s proceedings, the petitioner recounted the IHC had declared the minister’s affidavit as “false”, adding that it was the responsibility of the commission to stop a “dishonest man” from becoming a part of the legislature.

“Taking advantage” of Vawda’s presence in the hearing, the ECP’s member from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa questioned: “You [Vawda] were asked three questions [in the nomination papers]. Tell us why some sections in the nomination papers were left empty.”

Vawda responded he was a “layman and this is a political case”, claiming that the petitioner, Jadoon, was deposed prime minister and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supreme leader “Nawaz Sharif’s man”.

He subsequently assured the commission of his presence in the next hearing.

Meanwhile, another petition was filed with the commission to stop it from notifying Vawda’s Senate win. The petitioner observed said the senator-elect had mentioned the United States as his place of birth in his passport.

“He should be asked when he gave up his nationality. We should be given temporary relief by stopping Faisal Vawda’s notification,” he said. But Qureshi said the petition would be heard alongside other petitions on the same matter.

“We can de-notify after the decision is taken regarding [Vawda’s] ineligibility but we cannot stop the notification at the moment.”

Regarding the victory of Yousaf Raza Gilani, the ECP rejected the plea to stop the issuance of the notification confirming Gilani’s victory in the recent elections for the upper house of parliament. However, it accepted for hearing a petition involving a contentious video, showing the former prime minister’s son, Ali Haider Gillani, explaining to MPs how to waste their votes.

Shortly after announcing the short order, the commission issued the victory notifications for Gillani and PTI senator-elect Fauzia Arshad as the returned candidates on general and woman seats respectively from Islamabad.

Last Wednesday, Gillani, who was fielded as a joint candidate of the 11-party PDM on a technocrat seat from Islamabad, defeated Finance Minister Abdul Hafeez Shaikh in Senate elections in a major setback to the government. He received 169 votes to the latter’s 164.

Earlier on Wednesday, the IHC dismissed a petition from PTI challenging the victory of PPP leader Gillani in recent Senate elections.

During the proceedings on Wednesday, Awan told the court that the PTI wished to bring transparency to the electoral process.

However, the judge observed that the party had approached the ECP in this regard, and said that there were “alternative forums” to address such grievances.

“The election process is currently ongoing and, under the Election Act [2017], you have other forums [for addressing your grievances],” he said.

“Tell us how the court can ignore these forums and hear this writ petition,” Justice Minallah asked. “You are levelling allegations of vote-selling. Some of your own [parliamentarians] are [reported to be] included in this,” he remarked.

“The court has faith in Parliament and has always respected parliamentarians.”

The judge added it was everyone’s responsibility to abide by the law. “Your case is pending in the ECP. Use that forum first,” the judge told the PTI MNA.

“It is not appropriate to bring political issues to the court unnecessarily,” he added.

The high court also rejected a request to disqualify Ali Haider Gillani from his Punjab Assembly seat.

On Saturday, three PTI leaders — Farrukh Habib, Maleeka Bokhari, and Kanwal Shauzab — approached the election commission to halt the issuance of the victory notification for Gillani until a probe into the leaked video is completed.

In another petition filed on Monday, the trio sought an early hearing of the case which was earlier scheduled for March 11 — a day before the election for the office of Senate chairman.

“The matter is extremely important as a senator elected with corrupt practices is now aspiring to become the chairman of Senate,” the petition had said. “It is a matter of utmost importance, which will have far-reaching consequences.”