ISLAMABAD   -  Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari yesterday said that the Upposition does not consider Sadiq Sanjrani the Senate Chairman as he was a product of ‘rigging.’ Speaking at a news conference here, Bilawal vowed to challenge Sanjrani’s victory in the court.

PDM joint candidate Yousaf Raza Gillani was also present at the news conference. Bilawal said that the whole country saw how the Senate was undermined. The PPP chief said that what happened in the Senate “is in front of everyone. He said that four cameras were found inside the House, which was “blatant rigging.”

The PPP leader refused to accept Sadiq Sanjrani’s win and said, “We have achieved this win by fighting against the government, we hope we will get justice from the court”.

He further said that the Presiding Officer was an ally of the government, whose controversial ruling was also in front of everyone.  The seven rejected votes were properly cast but they were wrongly declared invalid, he added.

The PPP Chairman said that he had consulted with lawyers, 

Maryam Nawaz, Maulana Fazlur Rehman and Asif Ali Zardari and his party will challenge this decision in court.

“We will not let this government continue with a fake mandate,” he added,

Meanwhile, PPP announced to challenge his loss in the Election Tribunal. As soon as the Presiding Officer announced the re-election of Sadiq Sanjrani as Chairman of the Senate, senators on the Opposition benches caused uproar against the decision.

PPP leader Farooq H. Naik said that “we cannot accept this decision under any circumstances as the ballot paper did not instruct or indicate where the voter should affix the seal” He refused to accept the seven votes rejected during the election of Chairman of the Senate,stating that putting the stamp over the candidate’s name does not invalidate the vote.

Qasim Gilani, son of Yousaf Raza Gillani, while refusing to acknowledge the victory of Sadiq Sanjrani, said that PPP plans to soon approach the election tribunal against this decision. The Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) also refused to acknowledge the defeat of the joint PDM candidate.

PML-N leader Ahsan Iqbal said that Gillani won with 49 votes and the government’s candidate Sadiq Sanjrani lost with 48 votes. 

“However, seven votes of Yousaf Raza Gillani were rejected to forcibly declare Sanjrani as the victor,” he said.