File photo of the Sindh High Court. PHOTO: EXPRESS/FILE
The Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) has challenged the printing of new voter lists for the constituencies that were redrawn by the election commission.
On Thursday, the Sindh High Court (SHC) issued notices to the chief election commissioner, the provincial election commissioner, the chief secretary, the secretary of statistics division, the deputy attorney general and the advocate general. The bench was hearing the party’s plea against the printing of fresh electoral rolls for the recently redrawn electoral constituencies in Karachi.
The party’s lawyer, Barrister Farogh Naseem, said the SHC had already reserved its order on April 8 on MQM’s petition through which fresh delimitation of three national and eight provincial assembly’s constituencies was challenged. On April 10, the commission reportedly sent new voter lists for printing even though it had already announced final electoral rolls for Karachi on March 17, he said.
“Therefore, any change in the voter lists after the start of the election process is void,” he argued. If these lists are sent for printing, it amounts to influencing this case since the election commission should have refrained from taking any steps, he added. Barrister Naseem pleaded the court restrain the commission from printing the electoral rolls by granting a stay order.
Headed by Justice Maqbool Baqar, the bench issued notices to the respondents, to submit their comments by Friday (today), when the case will be taken up again.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 12th, 2013.
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