ECP told to file comments on MQM’s plea

Karachi
The Sindh High Court on Tuesday directed the federal and provincial law officers, Election Commission of Pakistan, revenue department and others to file comments on petitions filed by the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) and others against delimitation of union councils and committees in different districts of the province.
Muttahida MNA Farooq Sattar, MPA Syed Sardar Ahmed and others challenged the delimitation process for union councils and committees in Malir, Korangi, Mirpurkhas, Hyderabad, Sanghar, Tando Allahyar and Nausheroferoz districts and submitted in the petitions that impugned notifications regarding delimitations of several town and councils were unlawful since they were aimed at manipulating the electoral college.
They argued that the impugned exercise of delimitation was illegal since the union councils and committees were unlawfully being inducting into other districts without giving any procedures for such shifting.
They submitted that the delimitation process was not conducted by the ECP and several urban areas were included in rural areas of these councils.
Citing the local government secretary, provincial census commissioner, Karachi commissioner and the ECP as respondents, the court was requested to declare that notification of delimitation to the extent of some union councils and committees of Malir, Korangi, Hyderabad, Tando Allahyar, Mirpurkhas, Sanghar, Nausheroferoz and other districts as unlawful and restrain holding of local bodies election there till the petition was decided. They also requested the court to constitute union councils and committees as per the population ratios of these districts.
The SHC division bench headed by Chief Justice Faisal Arab directed the respondents to file comments on the petition while instructing the office to tag all identical petitions with instant petitions.

Plea against encroachment
The Sindh High Court directed the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) to remove all encroachment from Block 10 of Gulistan-e-Jauhar and asked police and Rangers to provide assistance to the local administration for implementing the court orders.
The court also directed SSP East and Rangers DSR to provide necessary assistance to the KMC for removing encroachment.
Petitioner Rukhsana Naz and other residents of Gulistan-e-Jauhar’s Block 10 had moved the court against encroachment at the road and parking land near their houses. They submitted that despite court orders no encroachment had been removed by the KMC.
The KMC’s law officer submitted that court orders could not be followed due to lack of support from the police.