A rebuttal by the Senate on reports of the purchase of a luxury vehicle for Senate Chairperson Yousaf Raza Gilani further confused the matter on Monday, essentially confirming the purchase and reiterating the details reported in this connection. The rebuttal was issued after The Express Tribune reported that a vehicle worth Rs90 million was bought for Gilani from the Senate’s budget. The report also quoted Gilani as explaining that the case was ordered in May last year, “using savings from the Senate’s budget of the previous year”. “Gilani added that he had attempted to return the vehicle in view of the country’s current economic situation, but was told that the car had already arrived,” the report said. Barring Gilani’s assertion to return the vehicle, all of what The Express Tribune reported was confirmed in the Senate’s rebuttal, which, however, did not mention the cost of the car. The rebuttal said: “The attention of the Senate Secretariat has been drawn to certain media reports regarding the purchase of a vehicle (Land Cruiser) for the honourable Senate chairman.” “These reports are misleading, factually incorrect, and appear to be based on incomplete information and mala fide intentions,” it said, without specifying which information was incorrect. The rebuttal confirmed that the vehicle was purchased in May 2025, during the financial year 2024-2025, adding that it was bought through a “transparent procurement process as part of an overall vehicle replacement plan”. “The purchase included replacement of vehicles allocated to the standing committees chairperson, Senate deputy chairman, leader of the House, the leader of the opposition and the Senate Secretariat,” it added. The rebuttal also confirmed that the “vehicle has been delivered in March 2026, whereas the payment was made from the previous year’s budget savings in May 2025”. It added, “The Senate Secretariat categorically rejects these baseless insinuations and urges media organisations to exercise due diligence and professional responsibility in reporting matters related to state institutions.”