SHC issues notices to ECP, others on delimitation notification

KARACHI: Sindh High Court on Monday issued notices to Election Commission of Pakistan, secretary local bodies and others on the petition of Muttahida Qaumi Movement (Pakistan) challenging ECP’s notification regarding fresh delimitation of constituencies for Sindh local government.

The petition was filed by MQM-P convener Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui and others. Petitioners submitted that the local government constituencies were delimited without raising an objection which was against the spirit of the constitution and local government laws. They also submitted that the impugned notification with regard to delimitation of local government constituencies was without lawful authority and issued in violation of the Supreme Court’s judgment, adding that town demarcation was done on ethnic/linguistic basis with a malafide intention.

The rules of sub-division, lower limit and upper limit of population and principles of the contiguity have been violated in the impugned notification, said the petitioners.

The court was requested to direct the Sindh government and ECP to furnish comments on their policy regarding delimitation along with previous policy and reasons for not calling objections on delimitation of constituencies. They also sought declaration that town demarcation was made on ethnic and linguistic basis with malafide intention and principles of contiguity have been violated in the delimitation process which is liable to be strike down. They requested the court to direct the respondent to recall the notification issued on December 31 or accept the suggestion of petition or re-demarcate the towns and in the meantime suspend the notification till the court decides the matter. The court after preliminary hearing of the petition issued notices to the respondent and sought their comments.

It is pertinent to mention that MQM also challenged the formation of delimitation committees and process of delimitation for local bodies election in the province by the provincial election commission in the SHC in June 2020. They submitted that formation of delimitation committees and process of delimitation of local bodies constituencies were in violation of the election and delimitation laws.