Special Assistant to Prime Minister (SAPM) on Political Communication Dr Shahbaz Gill on Friday claimed that PML-N Senator Dr. Musadik Malik had voted against the PDM’s candidates during Senate elections after he was not nominated for the deputy chairman slot.
Taking to Twitter to make the revelation, Shahbaz Gill said that he had learned from a media friend that Musadik Malik allegedly wanted to become deputy chairman of Senate.
“After being denied the position, he purportedly voted for both candidates [on a single ballot paper] after being angry, which led to the cancellation of his vote,” he said.
Malik is a senior leader of the former ruling party and frequently appears on TV to defend his party. He was inducted into the federal cabinet of caretaker Prime Minister Mir Hazar Khan Khoso on 3 April 2013 and was appointed as Federal Minister for Water and Power where he served until 4 June 2013.
In November 2014, Malik was appointed as spokesperson for Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. In August 2017, he was appointed as Special Assistant to Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi on Media Affairs.
He was nominated by Pakistan Muslim League (N) (PML-N) as its candidate in 2018 Pakistani Senate election. However the Election Commission of Pakistan declared all PML-N candidates for the Senate election as independent after a ruling of the Supreme Court of Pakistan.
Read more: Government Wins Chairman and Deputy Chairman Positions in Senate
Malik was elected to the Senate of Pakistan as an independent candidate on general seat from Punjab in Senate election. He was backed in the election by PML-N and joined the treasury benches, led by PML-N after getting elected. He took oath as Senator on 12 March 2018.
It is pertinent to mention here that both the government-backed candidates won the Senate elections with Sadiq Sanjrani securing the chairman slot with 48 votes against 42 votes of his rival candidate Yousuf Raza Gilani while Mirza Afridi won the deputy chairman slot with 54 votes against the 44 votes polled to PDM candidate Abdul Ghafoor Haideri.
Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) has decided to challenge the victory of Sadiq Sanjrani as chairman Senate after its candidate Yousuf Raza Gilani lost owing to the seven rejected votes during the elections. According to sources within the PPP, the party has decided to challenge the victory of Sadiq Sanjrani in the election tribunal.
Uzma Bukhari voted for PTI’s Muhammad Sarwar
Notably, Dr. Shahbaz Gill recently revealed in a talk-show that PML-N’s senior leader Uzma Bukhari voted for Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwar in 2018. However, Ms. Bukhari rubbished the allegations and urged Dr. Gill to be careful. “This is how the PTI leaders silence their opponents when they don’t have any argument,” she said.
Bukhari, who takes a strong stance to defend her leaders Nawaz Sharif and Maryam Nawaz, joined the party 8 years ago. She was elected to the Provincial Assembly of the Punjab as a candidate of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) on a reserved seat for women in 2002 General Elections. She was re-elected to the Provincial Assembly of the Punjab as a candidate of PPP on a reserved seat for women in 2008 elections. In February 2013, she joined Pakistan Muslim League (N) (PML-N).
Read more: I am not among those who flee the battleground, Imran Khan tells PDM
In 2018, PTI candidate Chaudhry Sarwar secured maximum votes (44) on the general category seat, giving a complete surprise to the ‘confident’ PML-N that had apparently done its homework to grab the 12th seat from Punjab as well.
Reports claimed that at least 10 PML-N MPAs, including women, had voted for Mr Sarwar, while even more than a dozen voted for PPP’s Shahzad Ali Khan, a relative of PPP’s senior vice president Manzoor Ahmad Wattoo.