SC issues notices to AGP, AGS over MQM-P plea

Party wants restraining order against 2nd phase of LG polls in Sindh

ISLAMABAD:

The Supreme Court on Friday issued notices to the attorney general for Pakistan (AGP) and the advocate general Sindh (AGS) on a petition filed by the MQM-P against the demarcation for the local bodies elections carried out by the provincial government.

A three-judge bench, headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial, heard the petition.

In its plea, the MQM-P sought a restraining order from the top court against the second phase of the local elections in Sindh.

In June, the Sindh High Court had rejected pleas filed by major political parties including the MQM-P to delay the local government elections.

The SHC, while rejecting the plea to halt elections, had directed the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to hold the polls in the province as per the schedule.

Former federal law minister Farogh Naseem, who was representing the MQM-P in court, contended that the amendments made to the LG law by the Sindh government were against the Constitution and the decision of the SC.

Naseem told the court that MQM constituencies had been reduced to 80,000 and those of the PTI had been shown as 35,000.

He added that the SHC had neither  declared the amendments to be correct, nor as illegal.

Justice Mansoor Ali Shah, who was also on the bench, remarked that then the case would have to be sent back to the high court.

Naseem replied that the top court could transfer the case to the SHC after issuing a stay order.

Justice Shah observed that the elections had already been put off.

The local government elections in the second phase in Sindh were originally scheduled to take place on July 24 in 16 districts of Karachi and Hyderabad: East Karachi; West Karachi; South Karachi; Central Karachi; Malir; Korangi; Keamari; Hyderabad; Tando Mohammad Khan; Matiari; Tando Allahyar; Badin; Dadu; Jamshoro; Thatta; and Sujawal.

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However, the Pakistan Meteorological Department had warned that various parts of Sindh, including Karachi, were forecast to experience another spell of heavy rains from July 23-26.

Hours later, the ECP had announced the postponement of the polls till August 28.

Naseem told the judge that the polls had been put off because of the rain forecast and the upcoming month of Muharram.

The CJP told the lawyer that he had not included the detailed decision of the SHC with the documents he had submitted to the SC.

Naseem told him that the detailed verdict was submitted to the SC's Karachi Registry.

The hearing of the case was adjourned till July 26.

A day earlier, Naseem, while addressing a press conference alongside other MQM-P leaders Wasim Akhtar and Aminul Haque, had said that they had been contesting the issue of Karachi and Hyderabad constituencies for a long time. “There is a clear difference in the population ratio of Malir and Korangi constituencies,” he had added.

He further said the ECP was usually responsible for carrying out delimitation, but the Sindh government was doing this itself.