IHC sets aside six more delimitations of constituencies

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) here on Wednesday set aside the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP)’s delimitation of six more constituencies taking the overturned decisions number to 10 in the last two days.

Justice Aamer Farooq of the IHC declared the delimitation of districts Bahawalpur, Kharan, Ghotki, Sheikhupura, Haripur and Kasur’s constituencies as void and sent these cases back to the ECP for rehearing in the matters.

On May 29, the IHC bench had declared the delimitation of four districts constituencies, including Toba Tek Singh, Lower Dir, Jhang and Jhelum, as void and remanded these cases to the ECP for re-adjudication. Meanwhile, the IHC bench upheld ECP’s delimitation decisions regarding Chiniot, Khanewal, Gujranwala, Umerkot, Sialkot, Jacobabad, Rahimyar Khan, Chakwal, Bannu, Kurrum Agency, Swabi, Mansehra and Rajanpur districts and rejected petitions against these.

The IHC bench here on Thursday (today) would hear in 31 more applications against the delimitation.

As per Delimitation of Constituencies Act, 1974, it is incumbent upon the government to take fresh delimitation after every census. The ECP, after 2017 census, had done new delimitations of national and provincial assemblies. Many of the political parties, including the three major, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and Pakistan People’s Party, through 108 petitions, has challenged the new delimitation of which the IHC bench has already declared 10 as void.

Petitioners contended that the poll-supervisory body has done delimitation on political grounds and these should be set aside as standard procedures not followed in the delimitation of the constituencies. The IHC bench, while deciding the applications, said that the rules for proportion of population should be equally applied in all districts.