LG elections: MQM calls delimitations in districts Malir and South illegal

Lawyer argues the new local bodies’ laws were framed to defeat the MQM.

KARACHI: The Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) concluded its arguments on Thursday on petitions challenging the ongoing delimitation process in different districts of the province, including those in Karachi, ahead of the local bodies’ elections. 

While explaining the MQM’s reservations, Barrister Farogh Naseem said delimitations in districts Malir and South were illegal and unfair, adding that the new local bodies laws were framed to defeat the MQM in the coming local bodies elections. Barrister Naseem said that local bodies’ elections were part of a democratic process but it has been sabotaged and delimitations before the local government polls was an indication of rigging in the polls.

At least 10 petitions have been filed against the rejections of objections on the proposed delimitation in districts Malir and South of Karachi, Naushero Feroz, Hyderabad, Qambar-Shahdadkot, Tando Allahyar, Shaheed Benazirabad and others.

The MQM and three other persons — Syed Nasir Abbas, Waseem Ahmed and Muhammad Ramzan — have challenged the proposed delimitation in Malir and South districts, claiming the process violated the provisions of the Sindh Local Government Act (SLGA) 2013.

According to the MQM, the chief secretary had illegally and without any jurisdiction legislated over the SLGA 2013, whose vires have already been challenged by his party before the Supreme Court.

It claimed that SLGA 2013 was amended through the Sindh Local Government (Amendment) Act 2013 on November 2, whose Section-27 clearly provided that the population of union committees was to fall between 10,000 and 15,000. Similarly, the population of the union committees in the metropolitan corporation is between 40,000 and 50,000.

Another amendment was made to Section-15 of the SLGA 2013, whereby district councils for Karachi division were omitted. This clearly meant that for Karachi division only union committees could exist, it claimed.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 20^th, 2013.