Ahead of LG elections: Union councils in Sindh go up to 1,400

Delimitation taking place but in secret, say officials .

KARACHI:

There are around 1,100 union councils in Sindh, but after the government decision to increase the number of union councils by 300, the number will reach at around 1,400 in the entire province, The Express Tribune has learnt.

The number of union councils in the city’s district council has also gone up drastically from nine to 24, as part of the ongoing delimitation ahead of the local government elections. The district council, which earlier comprised nine union councils, including Malir, Gadap, Bin Qasim and Keamari defunct towns, will now have 24 union councils.

The Ibrahim Hyderi, Rehri, Bhains Colony, Memon Goth, Gulshan-e-Hadeed, Landhi No.5, Gabu Pat and Shah Mureed union councils have been bifurcated after carving out two to three union councils from them. Sources said that not only the district council, but the number of union councils in the city has also gone up by 20 to 30 per cent.

The city commissioner was, however, reluctant to share numbers. “We will expand the union councils to some extent but it will be premature to disclose the exact numbers,” said Shoaib Siddiqui, adding that there are currently 178 union councils in Karachi, where some more UCs will be added. On the other hand, Central district deputy commissioner Dr Saifur Rehman insisted that they have increased the size of wards but not a single union had been added.

According to a government notification, each union council will have a population of nearly 10,000 to 15,000 but the authorities are keeping this information secret. Even the local residents have no idea how the delimitation is being carried out.

“We have been visiting for the last two days but the final list of the delimitation of constituencies has yet to be displayed at the office of the deputy commissioner Malir,” pointed out Khuda Dino, a former councillor of Memon Goth. “How can we submit our objections and appeals when we do not know which constituency we belong to and where our votes have been registered?”

The first phase to redraw the boundaries of the union councils was completed on October 25 but the deputy commissioner has yet to display the lists in their respective offices. The complaints pouring in from districts Central, East and West also suggested that not a single list has been displayed at the offices of the relevant deputy commissioners.

The workers at the DC office in Malir were reluctant to share information but the deputy commissioner, Qazi Jan Muhammad, insisted that they have received feedback from everyone throughout the whole process and the list is available in the office. “We have displayed the list. Anyone can get information from there.”

According to Muhammad, the tribunal has been formed under the supervision of the city commissioner who, being an appellant authority, hears the appeals and objections.

For his part, commissioner Shoaib Siddiqui agreed that all deputy commissioners were bound to display the list between October 25 and November 5, otherwise the residents could not submit their objections to him. “I am supposed to hear their objections and resolve them by November 5,” he said, adding that he has so far received only 10 complaints.

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Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz MPA Shafi Jamote, who happens to be the former chairperson of Karachi district council, said they have found several discrepancies in the delimitation process and their dominant areas have been shifted around. “We welcome the induction of new union councils but it should be done without any political motives,” he said, adding that they would challenge the wrongdoings before the tribunal.

No one should have an objection to this as the number of union councils are being increased due to population growth, he explained.

The delimitation process started on September 28 and was supposed to be completed within 28 days but the provincial government extended the deadline by one more week. The local government elections are expected to be held on November 27.

Sindh seeks returning officers powers for DCs

The Sindh government has submitted a proposal to the Election Commission of Pakistan to allow deputy commissioners to act as returning officers instead of judges in LG elections.

The proposal, which was submitted by the chief secretary, said the deputy commissioners and their assistants will work as returning officers. Provincial election commissioner SM Tariq Qadri clarified that this was merely a proposal. The final decision is yet to be made, he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 30^th, 2013.