The Pakistan Muslim League-N on Friday expressed its mistrust against the Election Commissioner of Sindh as the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has started consulting political stakeholders to pave the way for delimiting constituencies in the metropolis.
The ECP has started working on the strategy it had unveiled on Wednesday before a five-member larger bench of the apex court to undertake delimitation of the constituencies in Karachi after taking all stakeholders on board.
Friday, the day of a province-wide strike called by the Sindhi nationalist parties led by the PML-F against the controversial PSLGA 2012 and the LHC’s Thursday’s order in favor of Kalabagh Dam, saw various political parties visiting the office of provincial election commission to share their views on the delimitation of constituencies in Karachi in line with the Supreme Court’s Oct 6 (2011) order. According to ECP Secretary Ishtiaq Ahmed, so far three parties, the ruling Pakistan People’s Party, Awami National Party (ANP) and Jamat-e-Islami had expressed their consent to the delimitation plan.
In separate statements, however, the Sindh chapter leadership of Pakistan Mulsim League-N and Pakistan Muslim League-F also supported the move that the Supreme Court believes would end “political polarization” in the violence-hit multiethnic city. The ECP secretary, at the office of provincial election commission, told the media that at least 10 political parties had been contacted and asked for submitting their proposals within next one week.
“We would hold talks with all shareholders and then proceed with the plan,” Ahmed said. He said the PPP, ANP and JI had consented to the SC-backed delimitation move. “All the parties consulted would submit their recommendations to the EC in a week time,” the secretary said. Meanwhile, the PML-N leader Salim Zia said his party had no confidence in Provincial Election Commissioner Sono Khan Baloch.
Heading a PML-N delegation to a meeting at the provincial election commission, Zia, however, posed confidence in the chief election commissioner and the ECP secretary. The PML-N provincial leader claimed that no transparency could be expected in the preparation of voter lists or delimitation of constituencies by the ECP as long as the office of the election commission was based in Karachi. He, however, said his party would submit its recommendations within next one week after contacting other political stakeholders.
Other stakeholders on the opposition side like Jamat-e-Islami and Pakistan Tehreeke Insaaf (PTI) also appeared supportive to the delimitation plan but with certain reservations.
JI leader Hussain Mehnati is reported to have claimed that the elections in Karachi had always been carried out at “gunpoint”. The JI leader also complained of other irregularities most prominently among which, he said, was bogus voting. Arif Alvi of PTI said army should be called in to monitor general elections in the city where, he said, almost all the areas were sensitive. He suggested the installation of surveillance cameras at all the polling stations during the 2013 election.
Imtiaz Sheikh of PML-F said his party was supportive to the SC’s delimitation order but that the registration of votes should be according to the voters’ present address.
“The delimitation of constituencies, we think, should be carried out across the country which has seen a tremendous increase in population over the years,” Sheikh proposed.
Alvi of the PTI also stressed the need for the voters’ registration in accordance with their resent address.
Abut PML-N’s no confidence move against the provincial election commissioner, he said if they like the chief election commissioner we like the Sindh election commissioner too.
This, however, is still unclear what response Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), the major stakeholder in Karachi, would respond to the ECP’s invitation to the table. MQM Chief Altaf Hussain Thursday termed the Supreme Court’s judges as “biased” towards Karachi saying the “unprecedented” court order was tantamount to depriving Karachiites of their voting rights.
