In pursuance of the Supreme Court’s orders, the Sindh government has directed the city’s commissioner and five deputy commissioners to submit a report on the formation of new electoral constituencies.
During a meeting at the Sindh Secretariat, headed by Chief Secretary Raja Muhammad Abbas, police authorities were directed to submit their reports on the presence of no-go areas, if any, in the city.
Commissioner and deputy commissioners were told to submit their report on “whether there is a need to form new electoral constituencies or should the present constituencies are continued”.
The present electoral constituencies were formed in 2001 and the elections of 2002 and 2008 were held according to them.
Many stakeholders of the city have time and again claimed that these constituencies are “manipulated” to benefit one political party of the city.
On the contentions of political parties, the Supreme Court had directed the Sindh government to look into the matter as whether there is a need to change the present set-up for the next elections or not.
According the political circles of the city, the present electoral arrangement is “manipulated” and the “Delimitation Act” is also violated. For example, the PS-90, Karachi II, Union Council 4 comprises of Chanesar Goth bifurcated in two parts. One part of it is joined with another constituency that comprises of the Lines Area, Saddar, the Tariq Road and the PECHS Society. Interestingly, Union Council 4 was bifurcated, but union councils 1, 2, 3 and 5 were left in the same constituency.
In another example, the provincial assembly’s constituency of Keamari Town included the areas of Keamari, Mauripur and Baldia Colony of Korangi Town.
This set-up not only violated natural boundaries, but also the “Delimitation Act”. According to the act, no constituency can be formed across main roads, rivers and other natural boundaries. However, in this case, the constituency shapes across the RCD Main Road. The RCD Road connects Sindh through its capital Karachi with not only Balochistan, but also the country with Iran and Turkey.
