The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) Friday sent a notice summoning Nawab Taimur Talpur in connection with his claim that a member of parliament had sold his vote to the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) in the Senate elections held earlier this year.
During a fiery speech made on the floor of the Sindh Assembly on Thursday, Talpur had said, “The member who sold his vote to PPP during the Senate elections is still sitting in the assembly.”
Summoning Talpur to appear before the commission on October 4, the ECP’s order said that a notice had been taken over the allegations levelled by him.
Several political parties had accused each other of horse-trading and purchasing votes in the March 3 Senate polls and had called for an investigation into the matter by the ECP. Almost all the parties had pointed fingers at the PPP, alleging that the party at the behest of Asif Ali Zardari resorted to ‘worst kind’ of horse-trading, especially in Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan assemblies.
Earlier in the day, Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry had urged the ECP to take notice of recent revelation by a member of the Sindh Assembly that PPP was involved in horse-trading during the Senate elections. “It is really surprising that the ECP has not yet taken any notice of that revelation though he [PPP MPA Nawab Taimur Talpur] had clearly and loudly said it all,” the minister told reporters outside the Parliament House.
“The ECP must not remain quiet over this issue,” Fawad said, adding that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) would play its due role in this regard. He further said that Prime Minister Imran Khan has already said the process of Senate elections should be changed.
Published in Daily Times, September 29th 2018.
