MQM-P challenges delimitations in SHC

Court refuses to hear petition on urgent basis

KARACHI: The Muttahida Qaumi Movement Pakistan (MQM-P) has challenged in court a notification by the provincial election commission, pertaining to the new delimitation of constituencies and inclusion of the assistant commissioner, deputy commissioner and others in the delimitation committee.

The Sindh High Court (SHC) refused on Thursday to hear the MQM-P's plea immediately.

"There could be a lengthy debate on the demarcation of the constituencies," the court remarked, adding that it was not possible to hear the petition during the holidays.

The petition was filed by MQM-P leaders Amir Khan, Kanwar Naveed Jamil, and Karachi mayor Wasim Akhtar.

According to the petition, the method of delimitation was decided in 2013 and it was illegitimate for the election commission to form a committee for the purpose.

The petition further stated that the demarcation report had not yet been made public, while the delimitation committee would also have an impact on the local elections, therefore, the notification of the commission should be declared null and void.

Talking to the media, Khan said a notification had been issued by the provincial election commission to form committees for delimitation.

He added that the term of local government bodies was coming to an end in September and the MQM-P already had reservations over the delimitations of the constituencies.

"The census has also been rigged," said Khan, adding that the provincial government had retained local government powers.

'Illegitimate detention'

Meanwhile, the SHC also sought arguments from the parties in a petition challenging the detention of a man acquitted of involvement in the PIDC bomb blast case.

Sindh police chief Mushtaq Ahmed Mahar appeared along with the Sindh home secretary and other officials during the hearing, which was held in the chambers of Justice Muhammad Iqbal Kalhoro on the request of the provincial advocate general.

As per the petition, the acquitted man, Abdul Hameed Bugti, had been detained for 30 days after his acquittal by the home department under the Maintenance of Public Order Ordinance. His counsel contended that court orders had been violated in his extended detention. Bugti had been declared a fugitive in 2002 and was arrested in 2005.

According to the home secretary, the details of Bugti's detentions had been kept confidential. He claimed that Bugti had been held in jail after his acquittal based on information received from various agencies.

Bugti's lawyer argued that a person could not be kept in jail for life on the basis of suspicion alone, adding that none of the accusations against his client had been substantiated.

The court sought arguments from the parties on June 25.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 19^th, 2020.