Wishful delimitations: ‘Union councils have been formed to appease Mahar sardars’

Bar association’s president alleges delimitations were finalised without consultation.

SUKKUR:

The Ghotki district bar association’s president, Abdul Razzak Mahar, has alleged that delimitations in the district have been carried out according to the wishes of the Mahar sardars.

Speaking to The Express Tribune, Abdul Razzak said that though the increase in the number of union councils was justified with an increase in the population, the delimitations had been conducted merely to appease the sardars. Quoting examples to justify his allegations, Abdul Razzak said that Deh Erazi had been divided into two union councils - the urban part and the rural part. The new rural union council was constituted under the name of Tanglani and would comprise the district jail and labour colony, which was highly objectionable. He added that most of the important sites in Ghotki were named after the sardars which was against the rules as they should be named after national heroes.

Abdul Razzaq was of the opinion that the district’s deputy commissioner was serving the interests of the Mahar sardars and had ignored all the proposals before finalising the delimitations, except for those submitted by the sardars.

Pakistan Peoples Party’s general secretary for Ghotki, Abdul Latif Shah, also expressed his reservations on the delimitations, adding that no proposals were invited before finalising the delimitation lists.

Meanwhile, Ghotki’s deputy commissioner, brushing aside the allegations, told The Express Tribune that all legal requirements had been fulfilled before finalising the delimitations. He explained that the new union councils were formed on the basis of the 1998 population census.

On the other hand, the Mahar sardars, after having emerged victorious in the 2013 general elections, have demanded the PPP for the chairperson slots for the Ghotki and Sukkur district councils. After joining the PPP, the sardars were accorded two MNA seats and three MPA seats and are now reportedly eyeing the chairperson slots of the districts.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 15^th, 2013.