PPP has ‘no objection’ to fresh delimitation

The leadership of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) went into a huddle on Friday to review the progress on the agreement hammered out between the parties on the issue of fresh delimitation of local government constituencies in Karachi and Hyderabad.

In the one-and-a-half-hour meeting held at the Chief Minister’s House, the MQM reiterated its demands to rectify the ‘unfair delimitation’ before going to the local government polls.

Former Karachi mayor Wasim Akhtar, Khawaja Izharul Hasan and IT Minister Syed Aminul Haque represented the Muttahida Qaumi Movement whereas Karachi Administrator Murtaza Wahab represented the Pakistan Peoples Party.

Meanwhile, the members of the Sindh government during the meeting informed the Muttahida about the progress made in the matter and sought to allay the latter’s grievances over delimitation of local government constituencies, sources said.

However, while categorically assuring the MQM and saying that the PPP had no objection to fresh delimitation, the PPP underlined that the issue of local body constituencies was subject to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).

“We are ready for new constituencies, but your lawyers convince the ECP,” PPP leaders were quoted as saying during the meeting.

It is pertinent to note here that last month the Election Commission of Pakistan had announced that the second phase of local elections in Sindh would be held on Jan 15, 2023.

It was reported earlier that the ruling PPP saw the ECP’s announcement as a time given for fresh delimitation before the polls and stressed that no excuse was left for not holding a fresh delimitation.

The MQM-P has been demanding that the formation of a new local government law should take place in compliance with the Supreme Court’s February 1 verdict. The party believes it would be unfair to hold local elections without first having fresh delimitation without which other stakeholders, including PTI, would gain more advantage.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 3^rd, 2022.