SC rejects MQM Karachi delimitation petition

Review petition is meaningless as we didn't even order ECP to carry forward Karachi delimitation, Supreme Court.


Web Desk February 25, 2013
The MQM's Faisal Sabzwari has led the party's charge against the PPP led. His party has opposed Karachi's delimitation. PHOTO: IRFAN ALI/FILE

The Supreme Court rejected the Muttahida Quami Movement's petition against the delimitation of electoral voting zones in Karachi on Monday, Express News reported. 

Labelling the petition as pointless, Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali told MQM’s lawyer Faroogh A Naseem, “the Supreme Court has not ordered the election commission to carry out Karachi's delimitation. Hence, review petition of this issue is pointless.”

The court representative of the election commission presented a written statement saying the delimitation of constituencies is not taking place in Karachi.

The plea was discussed during the hearing of Karachi law and order case heard by a five-member bench headed by Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali at Karachi registry today.

On January 9, the court ordered the Registrar Office to admit MQM's plea for hearing and dismissed the registrar’s reservations.

MQM, the only political party opposing the delimitation, had filed the review petition in December against the SC’s verdict on the issue.

The petition pleaded that the court’s rulings of Nov 26 and Nov 28 were “in violation” of the Constitution.

Farooq Sattar had said that a delimitation process which was only limited to Karachi and without a census was equivalent to pre-poll rigging.

On Nov 26, a five-member bench of the apex court had observed that constituencies in Karachi should be delimited in a manner that they comprise “mixed population” to avoid political polarisation.

COMMENTS (5)

Waseem Sarwar | 11 years ago | Reply

MQM has a very valid point here. If SC and ECP want to change the electorial zones then this should happen all over Pakistan and with good amount of time before elections. Like it or not but SC isn't netural in our country right now.

Karachi | 11 years ago | Reply

@Mehran: This means there will be no delimitation in Karachi as it was never an explicit order.

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