LG elections: Comments sought from ECP over Korangi UC’s delimitation

MQM had challenged delimitation of certain UCs in Korangi

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) directed on Tuesday the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) authorities to file comments on a petition challenging the delimitation of union councils (UCs) in Korangi district.

A division bench, headed by Justice Naimatullah Phulpoto, directed the authorities to file their comments by November 26. The Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) had challenged the delimitation of certain UCs in Korangi.





The party submitted through its parliamentary leader, Syed Sardar Ahmed, that the Korangi district was created through bifurcation of the South district in November 2013. The new district comprises areas that were formerly part of East and South districts. He pointed out that the UCs 1 to 6 - from Akhtar Colony to Liaquat Ashraf Colony - and some areas of East district have been included in the Ferozabad sub-division of the East district municipal corporation through an official notification dated July 26.

He said the ECP had issued a final list of the local bodies' constituencies on August 22 this year. Later, the provincial election commissioner, who is the delimitation authority, issued a revised list in violation of Schedule-I of the Sindh Local Government Act, 2013, as the population criteria have been disturbed in the creation of union councils 1 to 6 of the Akhtar Colony locality. According to the final list, UC-2 had a population of 40,402 and UC-6 had population of 40,085. Under the revised list, UC-2 consists 31,119 people and UC-6 has 54,185 people.



Advocate Nishat Warsi alleged that the fresh delimitation and creation of new UCs is based on discrimination as one ward has a population of 18,000 while the other has 6,000. "It means the candidates for 18,000 people must have to obtain three votes as compared to one vote for the candidate of 6,000 people," he stated. The court was pleaded to declare the revised list illegal and order the election authorities to hold the upcoming local government polls on the basis of the old lists of constituencies. During Tuesday's proceedings, the bench directed the representative of the ECP, who was present on the court's notice, to file comments of the commission by November 26.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 25^th,  2015.