ECP says the ship has sailed on the tweaking of electoral boundaries

The commission defends itself at SHC hearing on petitions filed by PPP, MQM.


Our Correspondent March 27, 2013
PHOTO: FILE

KARACHI: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) said on Wednesday that the redrawing of the three National Assembly and eight provincial assembly constituencies in Karachi had been done in accordance with the law - therefore, there can be no debate about it as elections are just around the corner.

The ECP maintained this stance while opposing petitions filed by Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP). Both parties were unhappy with the notification ECP had issued on March 22 about the delimitation of constituencies and the way the electoral boundaries had been redrawn.

Barrister Farogh Naseem, who represented MQM, said that before electoral boundaries are redrawn, a population census is required. After the Supreme Court’s judgment on the Karachi law and order situation back in October 2011, the government was supposed to initiate the census and then begin the process of delimitation.”Once the election process has commenced, the delimitation of constituencies cannot be done,” said Barrister Naseem.



Qadir Patel, the president of PPP’s Karachi division, also challenged the delimitation of NA-239, saying that ECP had included three defunct union councils of Baldia Town and two of Keamari Town.

On Wednesday, the joint provincial election commissioner, Abdul Jabbar Jamali, filed ECP’s reply, saying that after the Supreme Court’s order, a committee had been formed to look into the matter of drawing up electoral boundaries. It had decided that the delimitation of constituencies should be done before the schedule of the general election is announced.

ECP clarified that the process of general elections starts when the schedule was announced on March 22, not when the National Assembly was dissolved on March 17. Therefore, its notification on the electoral boundaries on March 22 was not against the Constitution. Any change in delimitation now would disturb the election process, added Jamali. Justice Maqbool Baqar, who headed the bench, allowed the deputy attorney general till April 2.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 28th, 2013.

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