PESHAWAR: Jamaat-i-Islami provincial chief and Senator-elect Mushtaq Ahmad Khan has demanded of the judiciary and the election commission to take notice of alleged horse-trading in the recently-held Senate polls.

In a statement issued here on Tuesday, he said the alleged horse-trading was an attack on democracy and democratic institutions. He said those MPAs who sold their loyalties in the elections had not only dishonoured values and traditions of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, but also violated sanctity of vote.

Mr Ahmad, provincial senior minister Inayatullah Khan along with leaders of JI visited central secretariat of Awami National Party to express gratitude to ANP for supporting the JI candidate in the polls.

JI and ANP had formed alliance in the Senate polls, as a result, Mushtaq Ahmad was elected senator.

The ANP-JI joint candidate Shagufta Malik, however, lost the poll on the women reserved seat.

The JI leader held Pakistan Peoples Party responsible for horse-trading in the elections, undermining the spirit of democracy.

He said the PPP had only five MPAs in KP Assembly, but its candidates had bagged 42 votes that showed horse-trading. He said the Supreme Court and ECP should take action against violators of the law.

Published in Dawn, March 7th, 2018