ISLAMABAD - Former President Asif Ali Zardari is hopeful that all the Pakistan Democratic Movement Senators will vote for Yousuf Raza Gillani in the Senate Chairman’s elections tomorrow (March 12), a senior Pakistan People’s Party leader said.

Former prime minister Raja Pervez Ashraf told The Nation that the PPP was committed to ensure victory for Gillani and Maulana Ghafoor Haidri – who is the PDM’s candidate for Senate’s deputy chairman slot. “Asif Ali Zardari believes the members will vote for Gillani and Haidri in the elections (for the top Senate slots). We have been holding meetings as this election is important for us,” he said.

Ashraf said Zardari’s ‘wisdom’ had been instrumental in Gillani’s win as a Senator against Finance Minister Abdul Hafeez Shaikh.

Yesterday, PPP chief Bilawal Bhutto Zardari felicitated Yousuf Raza Gillani on his notification as Senator by the Election Commission of Pakistan. 

He said that after issuance of notification, the last plan of the Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf had failed and now the PTI will not be able to “run away” from the election. The PPP Chairman also visited member National Assembly, Amir Ali Shah Jillani who met an accident the other day. Bilawal Bhutto Zardari expressed good wishes for Amir Ali Shah’s early recovery.  

Meanwhile, Sindh minister for education Saeed Ghani urged the Supreme Court and the ECP to take notice of the statement by the Federal Minister for Information Shibli Faraz. 

Speaking at a news conference here, Ghani said that this statement of Shibli Faraz made clear the ideology of PTI of using illegal means to get success in the elections. 

Earlier, Shibli Faraz said that the government will do anything to get Sadiq Sanjrani elected as the Chairman Senate.

The election for the Senate top slots has gained importance after Gillani won the election against Hafeez Shaikh on March 3 for the Islamabad general seat. The PDM was seemingly not in the contest as PTI had majority in the National Assembly.

Ghani alleged the PTI was so perplexed after losing Senate seat from Islamabad that they had lost their minds. “They are going to every institution to stop Yousaf Raza Gillani from contesting Chairman Senate election but are facing defeat from every forum,” he added. 

The PPP leader said Yousuf Raza Gillani was a candidate of PDM which had clear majority in the Senate. He said that PDM candidates for Chairman and Deputy Chairman Senate will win their elections easily and PTI people will again “lick their wounds.”

Ghani said that PTI’s own members had accused their party of awarding party tickets in return of Rs 70 crores in Balochistan and Rs 35 crores in Sindh. 

“The PTI is the same party which used money in its own intra-party elections. Where there is any financial misappropriation in elections, it is evident that some PTI people are involved in it,” he maintained.