Pindi’s delimitation draws 230 objections

Appellate authority says hearing appeals with open heart

RAWALPINDI:

As many as 230 appeals have been filed against the fresh delimitation across the Rawalpindi division. The objections are now being heard by Regional Election Commissioner Rawalpindi Chaudhary Aleem Shahab, who also serves as the head of the delimitation authority. Sources said after hearing 18 appeals filed against the union councils of the district council and the municipal corporation Attock, nine appeals were approved and as many were dismissed.

The hearing of eight appeals filed against district Chakwal’s municipal committee and district council constituencies were conducted. The hearing of all other appeals will be heard on Friday [today]. From January 28, the hearing of the appeals of District Council Rawalpindi, Rawalpindi Metropolitan Corporation will begin. Notices have already been issued to all those who filed appeals. After Rawalpindi, the appeals pertaining to the delimitations of the Murree, Talagang and Jhelum districts will be heard.

According to the office of the regional election commissioner, a total of 230 appeals were filed against the fresh delimitation of the union councils of Rawalpindi region’s four old districts including Rawalpindi, Jhelum, Attock and Chakwal and two new districts of Talagang and Murree and as many as 80 appeals were filed against the 78 new delimitations of the Rawalpindi MC. Similarly, a total of 24 appeals were filed against the union councils of district council Rawalpindi, of which 24 were filed from Tehsil Kallar Syedan, 16 from Gujar Khan and seven from Kahuta.

Meanwhile, no political party has filed a single objection against the delimitation in Tehsil Taxila while 45 appeals were filed against the newly-created district Murree district council, of which 26 were from the representatives of Murree and 19 from Kotli Sattian. In the new delimitations, more union councils of Murree and Kahuta have been abolished. A total of 18 appeals were filed from district Attock, out of which one was filed from tehsil Attock, two each from Pindi Ghaib and Hazro, nine from Jund, one from Hassan Abdal and three appeals from tehsil Fateh Jang.

Regional Election Commissioner Chaudhary Aleem Shahab, who is also the appellate authority, while talking to The Express Tribune said: “We are hearing the appeals with open heart and open mind. Whoever's position is correct, that objection will be declared correct.” “We have also asked for the boundary maps of all union councils and at the time of hearing of each objection, the map of the relevant UC is also kept in front,” he explained