The Supreme Court on Wednesday admitted a review petition moved by the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) for regular hearing and hinted at reconstituting the bench that had been hearing the implementation of its order on Karachi law and order.
The petition sought a review of November 26, 2012 ruling for new delimitation of constituencies in the port city for the upcoming general elections.
A five-judge bench comprising Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, Justice Jawwad S Khawja, Justice Khilji Arif Hussain, Justice Gulzar Ahmed and Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed admitted the plea for regular hearing after removing objections placed by the registrar office.
On November 26, a five-judge bench at SC Karachi Registry ordered the Election Commission of Pakistan to draw fresh delimitations of constituencies in Karachi in a manner that they comprised mixed population to avoid political polarisation.
During the course of proceedings on Wednesday, Dr Farogh Nasim, counsel for the MQM, said they were not aggrieved with the main decision of the court over the law and order situation, but they wanted a review of another bench headed by Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali that had ordered delimitation of constituencies in its November 26 order.
The chief justice told the counsel that both issues were inter-connected with the main verdict. The same bench also directed Attorney General for Pakistan Irfan Qadir to submit within three weeks a detailed report over appointments made in the Port Qasim Authority despite a stay order by the court. The bench issued directive on a plea moved by Abdul Jabbar Memon, a former official of the Port Qasim Authority. The MQM had filed two separate petitions seeking a stay order and review of decision on the delimitation of constituencies and preparation of electoral lists in Karachi. The applications were filed by MQM Coordination Committee Deputy Convener Dr Farooq Sattar in the SC Karachi Registry through his counsel.
The party had contended that first a population census was held in various countries of the world before the redrawing of constituencies and the process for demarcation of constituencies was carried out later.
It said that the ECP secretary’s statement before the SC for delimitation of constituencies without carrying out a population census was unconstitutional.
In his second petition, he said the court order regarding the preparation of voters’ lists might be put in place for the entire country.
The petitioner pleaded granting a stay against operation of its November 26 and 28 orders until a final decision on the review petitions.
