The Sindh High Court (SHC) has issued notices to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), Advocate General Sindh and others on petitions challenging delimitations of constituencies in Sindh’s several districts for local government elections.
The SHC heard different petitions filed by the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) and Pakistan Muslim League-Functional to challenge the delimitations in different districts, including Karachi, Hyderabad, Naukot, Tando Allahyar, MirpurKhas, and Tandojam.
Unsatisfied with the delimitations made by Sindh government, the MQM submitted in its petitions that it is ECP’s work to make delimitations of the constituencies but the Sindh government has shown favoritism in making delimitations which is violation of the constitution of Pakistan and the Supreme Court’s order.
The MQM pleaded the court that the Sindh government has mixed up constituencies of urban and rural areas with one another. “The objective of these limitations is to get political benefits in the local government elections,” it was submitted in the petition.
The MQM also expressed concerns over delimitations of Karachi’s districts, saying the provincial government had mixed up several areas of district Malir and district Korangi in each other during the delimitation process. The party declared this as provincial government’s pre-poll rigging.
Naming the secretary local government, provincial census commissioner and ECP, the petitioners requested the court to de-notify delimitation of these constituencies of union councils and committees and restrain relevant authorities from conducting local government elections in these constituencies.
