The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has sought an early publication of the national census results so that it may carry out the process of delimitation of constituencies required under the Elections Act of 2017.
According to a report, ECP Secretary Babar Yaqoob Fateh Muhammad has written a letter to Federal Secretary for Law and Justice Karamat Hussain Niazi stressing that according to Article 51(5) of the Constitution, seats are allocated to the provinces, the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, and the federal capital in accordance with their population.
Noting that the provisional results of the national census released last week showed “tangible demographic changes,” the ECP secretary said that reallocation of seats had become necessary in the National Assembly as well as the provincial assemblies. Muhammad said that if seats are to be reallocated accordingly, the ECP will have to delimit constituencies as per Chapter 3 of the Elections Act 2017.
Under Chapter Three of the Act, the ECP is required delimit “territorial constituencies for elections to the NA, each Provincial Assembly and to the local governments.” The process is to be carried out after every census.
“Keeping in view the importance, magnitude of work and the time period required for completion” of delimitation,” Muhammad insisted on the early publication of the official census results, fearing that a delay would not allow the process to be completed in time.
