Delimitation process put on hold, SHC told

Sindh election commissioner has yet to notify the general public, district legislators.

KARACHI: The delimitation process in Naushero Feroze constituencies is on hold as the provincial election commissioner has yet to notify the general public and legislators.

Politician Syed Mureed Ali Shah has gone to the court to seek delimitation of the district’s constituency ahead of the next general elections.

The district having a population of 828,975, according to the 1981 census, was bifurcated on November 5, 1989. In 1990, then caretaker prime minister Ghulam Mustafa Jatoi allegedly influenced the delimitation process in his own interests, claims Shah. The Election commission has no record of the current official figures of the population to proceed with his application to redraw the voting boundaries, the petitioner’s lawyer stated.

On April 19, the Sindh High Court, while disposing of Shah’s petition, had directed the chief election commissioner and provincial election commissioner to redraw the constituency of the Naushero Feroze.

On Tuesday, the Sindh High Court took up the plea seeking orders to the provincial commissioner to implement the chief election commissioner’s directives. After hearing the plaintiff’s arguments, the court directed the Sindh election commissioner to issue the notices to the general public, members of national and provincial assemblies from the district regarding delimitation.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 29^th, 2012.