The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Tuesday directed the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to file comments on a petition filed by the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) challenging delimitations of district Korangi for upcoming local government elections.
Headed by Justice Irfan Saadat, the SHC bench took up the petition filed by Muhammad Anwar Iqbal Nizami on behalf of his party – MQM. The petitioner stated that the ECP had mixed up wards of UC-2 and UC-6 into one another causing difference of 23 thousand voters in the district. The petitioner stated that the ECP had issued a final list of delimitation on 28th July according to which UC-2, having a population of 40,402 people, and UC-6 having population of 40,085, had been finalised.
But on 22nd August, the ECP issued revised list which showed 31,119 people in UC-2, and 54,185 in UC-6. After the petitioner also checked the maps of relevant UCs, it has been learnt that Ward No 3 of UC-2 was included in UC-6 as Ward No 4 of UC-6 was inserted into UC-2.
Citing the Sindh chief secretary, secretary local government, chief election commissioner, provincial election commissioner and delimitation authority as respondents, the MQM requested the court to set aside the revised delimitations and restore the final list. The court was further requested to restrain the ECP from conducting local government elections in district Korangi on the basis of revised delimitations. Elections should be conducted on the basis of final list issued on 28th July 2015, the petitioner prayed. After the initial hearing, the court issued notice to the ECP to file its comments on 26th of November.