Reservations over delimitation: ECP decision to redraw boundaries upsets MQM, PPP

Altaf calls it a ‘conspiracy’ to divide his party’s vote bank.

KARACHI:

The Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) may be upset with the election commission for redrawing electoral boundaries in Karachi, but other parties hailed the decision.

According to an Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) notification, the boundaries for the constituencies of three National Assembly seats and eight provincial assembly seats have been redrawn. Anticipating a negative impact of this decision on its vote bank, the leaders of the MQM held a protest outside the provincial election commission office on Saturday.

Holding banners and placards, the leaders demanded ECP withdraw its decision and called it a “biased move” against the MQM and the residents of Karachi. Shouting ‘Karachi dushmani na manzoor’ [We won’t accept discrimination against Karachi], the protesters marched to the press club.

“We will not let this happen,” said one of the protesters. “Today, the people of this city have come here to inform the election commission that MQM will not accept their decision no matter what.”



Meanwhile, MQM deputy convenor Faisal Subzwari said they were surprised the ECP decision came merely 48 days before the general elections. “This is clearly aimed at rigging the polls,” he said. Chief Election Commissioner Justice (retd) Fakhruddin G Ebrahim had said that the delimitation was not possible without a census in a number of speeches, he pointed out. “If anyone can force the election commission to make a decision against the people’s mandate in just two days, the people also know how to force them to undo the decision,” he warned.

The PPP also rejected the ECP decision, even though party leaders were demanding earlier that the constituencies should be restored to the same status as they were before 2001. PPP Karachi division secretary-general Najmi Alam said the timings of the decision were not reasonable. “Since only a few weeks are left till the upcoming elections, the ECP’s decision will create disharmony among the political forces,” he said, adding that the political parties were not taken into confidence before the decision.

“All political parties have started their election campaigns smoothly but this decision can disturb the whole practice,” he said. “It can create problems in even holding the elections.”



MQM leaders, Subzwari, Babar Ghauri and others, also met the provincial election commissioner, Mehmood Anwar, to convey their reservations. Anwar avoided, however, commenting on the party’s reaction. “You can speak to chief sahib,” he told The Express Tribune, referring to Justice (retd) Ebrahim, who was unavailable for comment.

Hailing decision

Meanwhile, the Pakistan Muslim League - Nawaz welcomed the ECP decision. Irfanullah Marwat, a party leader, was actually one of the petitioners to undo the delimitation carried out in 2001. “MQM is making a hue and cry because its leader foresees his party’s defeat in these constituencies,” he said, adding that the ECP decision was long overdue.

The Awami National Party (ANP) and the Jamaat-e-Islami also lauded the decision. ANP’s Bashir Jan said that several constituencies in Karachi were changed during General (retd) Pervez Musharraf’s tenure just to appease the MQM. “We really appreciate the decision, but the ECP should focus on other constituencies too.”

The MQM chief was, nevertheless, adamant that the ECP decision was a “conspiracy” to divide the party’s vote bank. The party workers and supporters should not let this happen, he said. “Why is the delimitation only ordered in Karachi, why not other parts of the country?” asked Subzwari, adding that the party has decided to contest the decision in court.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 24^th, 2013.