Without suggesting any substantial changes in the ‘Delimitation of Constituencies (Amendments) Bill 2011’, the Senate Standing Committee on Law and Justice on Wednesday approved and sent it to the Senate for ultimate passage. The main objective of the bill was to provide certain provisions in the law to help do away with gerrymandering regarding delimitations of constituencies and to strengthen the Election Commission of Pakistan.
Senator Saeeda Iqbal told Pakistan Today that the bill was sent to the Senate without any substantial change. However, she added that Senator Nayyer Bukhari had suggested a few minor technical changes in the wording of the bill for making the language clearer. The officials of Law Ministry informed the committee members that the bill authorised the ECP to demarcate constituencies for elections for the national and provincial assemblies.
The bill had been introduced by Law and Justice Minister Maula Bakhsh Chandio in Senate on June 24 this year after the approval of the cabinet on June 15. According to an official of the ECP, if the bill was passed by the both the houses of parliament, it would largely ascertain the demarcation of constituencies on impartial basis. He also added that the bill has sought amendments in the law of 1974 pertaining to the demarcation of constituencies.
He added that constituencies had been demarcated previously on the basis of population only and if the law was passed it would allow the ECP to consider natural features of the land also in delimiting a constituency and it will also abolish gerrymandering.
