Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) MPA Khurram Sher Zaman was barred from casting his vote for the Senate elections at the Sindh Assembly after a mobile phone was seized from his possession.
The Sindh government’s spokesperson Murtaza Wahab said an electronic device was recovered from the PTI lawmaker’s possession when he was going to cast his ballot. Subsequently, the presiding officer barred him from casting his vote.
Chaos erupted in the Sindh Assembly after the MPA was found carrying his cellphone in violation of the ECP rules. Murtaza Wahab said the lawmaker violated the ECP’s code of conduct, adding the ruling PTI’s own MPAs are unhappy with the party leadership.
According to account of the incident by a Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Sadia Javed, a fellow lawmaker Kulsoom Chandio pointed out that Khurram Sher Zaman was carrying a mobile phone in violation of the ECP rules.
She further said that the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) leader first denied possession of the phone but later handed it over the officials of the election commission after light was turned on.
Chaos erupted in the provincial assembly after which ECP staff barred him from casting the vote and seized the phone.
Sindh Education Minister Saeed Ghani claimed Khurram Sher Zaman was taking a picture of his ballot with his mobile phone.
Polling for 37 seats of the Senate is underway under the supervision of the Election Commission. A total of 37 senators – 12 each from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, 11 from Sindh, and two from Islamabad – will get elected.
