The leaked bribe-taking video of legislators vindicates the stance of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) of holding the Senate elections through an open ballot rather than secret voting to cull horse-trading.
A video has surfaced in which the lawmakers of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) assembly are witnessed taking bribes for favoring their votes in the Senate elections 2018.
SENATE FOR SALE: senate seats being sold for previous elect. – this video explains y PM Khan now & other 2 parties too in COD used to then say that it shud b by ‘open identifiable ballot’ – what is beyond understanding that why the idea shudnt be supported this time? pic.twitter.com/3xjv1DMy0H
— Shiffa Z. Yousafzai (@Shiffa_ZY) February 9, 2021
After it went viral on the media, Prime Minister Imran Khan summoned resignation from the KP Law Minister Sultan Khan as he was among the ones who could be seen in the frame.
Resignation received from the Law Minister Sultan Mohammad Khan. pic.twitter.com/upU5o7qcS5
— Mahmood Khan (@IMMahmoodKhan) February 9, 2021
Meanwhile, the premier has termed the whole practice as ‘total destruction of nation’s morality’.
The videos showing the shameful way in which politicians buy & sell votes in Senate reflects the total destruction of the nation’s morality by successive ruling elites as they drowned the nation in debt. Cycle of corruption & money laundering is a sordid tale of our pol elite:
— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) February 9, 2021
The bribe-taking video recorded before the Senate elections 2018 has vindicated the stance of Prime Minister Imran Khan that the practice of horse-trading in the Senate election prevails in the country in which the political elite buy consciences.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court (SC) will hear the presidential reference for holding the Senate elections through the open ballot today. The timing of the leaked video has certainly strengthened government’s case.
Even without waiting for the SC’s decree, the government amended Elections Act 2017 by promulgating an ordinance to hold upcoming elections of the upper house through an open and identifiable ballot.
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The parties in the Pakistan Democratic Alliance (PDM) have opposed the idea. But, as the bribe-taking video has emerged, their case is losing steam.
It is mentionable that PTI is the only party that had removed 20 members of the KP Assembly after it learned proved that they received money against favoring certain candidates in the Senate Elections 2018.
The government officials have claimed that the rates for the candidates have already been set for this election as well.
Therefore, it is pushing to hold polls of the upper house via open ballot for the first time in the history of the country.