Ahead of Pak Senate polls, video of PTI lawmakers receiving bribes in 2018 surfaces

A video of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf's (PTI) lawmakers receiving bribes before the Senate elections in 2018 has surfaced on the social media amid the ongoing war of words between Prime Minister Imran Khan-led government and the Opposition on the open ballot issue ahead of Senate polls.

According to a report by Geo News, the video showed a couple of PTI Members of National Assembly (MNAs) taking money from Mohammad Ali Bacha, former MPA of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) before the Senate elections in 2018.

In the video, stacks of currency are seen in the video atop a table in front of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa PTI Members of Provincial Assembly (MPAs).

KP Law Minister Sultan Mohammad Khan and MPA Ubaid Mayar were also seen in the video.

While PTI's Sultan Mohammad Khan can be seen receiving money in the video and keeping it in a bag, former PPP MPA Mohammad Ali Bacha was seen handing over the stacks to the PTI parliamentarians, Geo News reported.

In the video, Sardar Idrees, another former MPA of the PTI, is also seen taking money.Former MPA of the PTI, Dina Khan and Meraj Humayun are also seen in the video, receiving money and putting it in a bag.

Following the release of the video, Imran Khan has ordered the removal of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Law Minister Sultan Mohammad Khan, who had joined the PTI before the 2018 elections, according to a report by Samaa TV.

This comes days after Pakistan President Arif Alvi had signed the Elections (Amendment) Ordinance 2021 to pave the way for Senate elections to be held via an "open and identifiable ballot".

The ordinance stated that according to Section 226 of the Constitution: "All elections under the Constitution, other than those of the Prime Minister and the Chief Minister, shall be by secret ballot". The Ordinance will come into effect "at once" and "extend to the whole of Pakistan, said the President.

Meanwhile, the opposition leaders have vehemently opposed the government's move to hold Senate elections via a show of hands.

Earlier, Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) had condemned the government's decision to for open ballot in Senate polls, remarking that it was based on "malicious intent".

( With inputs from ANI )