SC solicits expert views on delimitation parameters

The Supreme Court has sought assistance from the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) experts on the formula for the division of constituencies within the districts.

A three-member bench of the apex court led by Justice Umar Ata Bandial heard a petition filed against the delimitation of Jacobabad District, Kashmore.

During the hearing, petitioner Ehsaan Mazari’s counsel adopted the stance that according to the population, Sindh was given 61 seats in the National Assembly.

He said Mazari was the member of assembly and that Jacobabad, Kashmore was given a total of three National Assembly seats. He said that the number of voters on each seat is different.

The lawyer maintained that as per the constitution and law constituencies’ delimitations should be carried out according to the population. He said constituencies should be demarcated as per the record of tapadar and patwari and not according to districts.

He pointed out that in the current set-up the population was divided within the districts.

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Justice Bandial remarked that DROs were also formed on the basis of districts.

The petitioner’s counsel noted that there were 1.2 million voters in one of the constituencies of Bannu and 0.4 million in another. He said population was not properly divided when delimitations were carried out on the basis of districts.

The ECP lawyer noted that different aspects were kept in view while demarcating the constituencies adding that district and patadar were some of them.

Justice Bandial remarked that the court wanted to have the views of the experts on the matter.

The apex court summoned the ECP experts on delimitation of constituencies in the next hearing and directed that the case be fixed for early hearing.