Few days back Supreme Court of Pakistan Judge ordered for a fresh delimitation of Karachi Supreme Court directed the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP)to prepare a strategy for the process of delimitation of constituencies in Karachi. After that Secretary Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) Ishtiaq Ahmed Khan met with representatives of political parties.
Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), Awami National Party (ANP), Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) welcome the decision of apex court and announced to support the verdict. However Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) which has a stronghold in Karachi was against this verdict, MQM chief Altaf Hussain said while addressing a big gathering that the main purpose of new delimitations in Karachi is to break the vote bank of MQM which MQM supporters will not allow to do.
Altaf said that in constitution the Delimitation Act of 1974 makes census as the basic requirement for new delimitations. Therefore without holding a census, decision to carry out new delimitation of constituencies in Karachi is unconstitutional.
Political experts believes that if this law and order situation is the reason for new delimitation in Karachi then the situation is even worse in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa therefore new delimitation of constituencies should also be done in this area. One political expert said that the talk of new delimitation of constituencies is a good one but the timing is bad, he said that after the general elections parliament of Pakistan must take decision on new delimitation of constituencies in allover Pakistan which will be accepted by everyone.
By Khalid Dogar