Speaker Asad Qaiser distances himself from 'horse-trading' video scandal

• Speaker Asad Qaiser says video has been shot at the Speaker House in Peshawar.
• Former PTI MPA Mayar had confessed to taking bribe, said video had been shot at the National Assembly Speaker's House.
• Such statements are an attempt to divert attention from the actual issue, says Qaiser.
  

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Speaker of the National Assembly Asad Qaiser on Wednesday distanced himself from the "horse-trading" video that allegedly shows PTI MPAs receiving money to vote against their party in the Senate elections 2018. 

Qaiser took to Twitter to say that the video had not been shot at his official residence, rather the place that can be seen in it is from the Speaker House in Peshawar.  

"The place that you see in the video is from the Speaker House in Peshawar. I have no link whatsoever with this episode," he said. 

Read more: PM Imran Khan reacts to leaked video, says PDM wants to protect 'corruption-friendly' system

Qaiser further said that in 2018, PM Imran Khan had informed him about several PTI MPAs selling their votes for money, adding that the entire party had decided to take action against the PTI MPAs who were involved in the controversy.

"Statements like these are only an attempt to deflect from the actual issue," he said, referring to the statement against him by former PTI MPA Mayar. 

Former PTI lawmaker Ubaid Ullah Mayar confesses to taking Rs10 million in bribe

A day earlier when the video went viral on social media, former PTI MPA Ubaid Ullah Mayar confessed that he and the other lawmakers from the party had received Rs10mn as bribe to sell their votes. 

Speaking to Geo News, Mayar had said that he had taken the money on the "directives of the then chief minister of KP, Pervez Khattak."

Mayar had said that the PTI-led provincial government had "paid Rs10 million to all MPAs."

He had said that incident took place at the National Assembly speaker's house and it was the "provincial government which paid money to the MPAs and then made a video." He went on to say that he was "not aware of being filmed at the time of receiving the money."

"At that time, Pervez Khattak had formed a committee of 17 MPAs and asked us to vote for them, paid us the money, and promised to give us party's tickets," he had alleged.

He said that he even went to the High Court in relation to the matter, adding that he "stands by [his] statement and is "not afraid of anyone."

"I know the reality of Pervez Khattak as well as National Assembly's Speaker Asad Qaiser," he had said. "These two made the video, paid us, and the place shown in the video is the speaker's house."

Responding to a question regarding two people from another party who could be seen taking money in the video, Mayar said that "Pervez Khattak had promised to make them ministers if they joined the PTI," adding that the "promise was later fulfilled".

He said that he was asked to return the money on the suspicion that he did not vote for PTI's candidate.

Video surfaces of PTI lawmakers allegedly receiving bribes before Senate elections 2018

A video of PTI lawmakers allegedly receiving bribes before the Senate elections in 2018 surfaced on social media Tuesday amid the heated debate between the government and Opposition on the issue of balloting for this year's Senate elections.

In the video, stacks of currency can be seen sitting atop a table in front of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa PTI MPAs. Current KP Law Minister Sultan Mohammad Khan and MPA Ubaid Mayar can be seen in the video as well.

Former PPP MPA Mohammad Ali Bacha can be seen handing over the stacks to the PTI parliamentarians. PTI's Sultan Mohammad Khan can be seen receiving money in the video and keeping it in a bag.

Sardar Idrees, another former MPA of the PTI, can also be seen taking money. Another former PTI MPA Meraj Humayun can be seen in the video, receiving the money and putting it in a bag as can another former MPA of the party, Dina Khan.

The government and Opposition parties are at loggerheads over the issue of open balloting in the upcoming Senate elections. The Opposition has rejected the government's demands to hold an open ballot during the polls.

The government, on the other hand, has blamed the Opposition of bribing parliamentarians in the past to secure votes for the secret balloting in the Senate elections.