Pakistan Opposition senses end of Imran Khan govt as ex-PM Gilani defeats PTI in Islamabad

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday decided to seek a vote of confidence in the Parliament after his Finance Minister was defeated in the hotly contested Senate elections. Khan's close aide and Finance Minister Abdul Hafeez Shaikh lost to former PM Yusuf Raza Gilani in the Senate election on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, members of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) celebrated Gilani's win over the PTI leader, while the Imran Khan government decried the win and said that the results would be challenged, Dawn reported. Gilani secured 169 votes while Shaikh bagged 164 votes. Khan, also the chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), had personally campaigned for his Cabinet colleague.

'Democracy is the best revenge'

PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari took to Twitter and wrote, "Democracy is the best revenge. Jeya Bhutto!"

A few hours after polling ended, Bilawal alongside Gilani held a press conference in which both leaders hailed the latter's victory as "a win for democracy". The PPP chairperson claimed that "a new era was starting in Pakistan's democratic journey".

He thanked the PDM leadership and said that Gilani's win was a win for all democratic forces in Pakistan. "This puppet government has lost from its own parliament and the people of Pakistan have won," the Dawn quoted Bilawal as saying. "Imran Khan should resign, this is not only the opposition's demand but of the government's own members," claimed Bilawal.

PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif called the win "a glorious victory" and his daughter and party vice-president Maryam Nawaz also tweeted her congratulations to Gilani and the opposition alliance's Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM).

In another post, she claimed that "the fake mandate has been snatched back by the people's representatives".

"Their own people, despite the pressure on them, refused to vote for [...] (Prime Minister) Imran Khan," she said, adding that the premier now had no right to occupy the Prime Minister House. "Vote chor (thief), leave the chair."

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'Horse trading at its peak': PTI cries foul

Senator Faisal Javed termed the results "horse-trading at its peak". He said the result should be "investigated and justice must be served". Special Assistant to the Prime Minister for Political Communication Dr Shahbaz Gill said the party "will challenge this result".

He alleged that people had sold their votes on the same ballot paper for money. The prime minister was proved right, said Gill, and once again "votes were sold in the election". "Have an auction of consciences next time instead of an election."

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