KHUZDAR: Several political parties have condemned the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) decision to add an area of Balochistan’s NA-260 constituency to a Sindh constituency under its new delimitation.

The Balochistan National Party (BNP-Mengal) called a protest in this regard in Khuzdar town on Saturday, which was attended by leaders and workers of several other political parties. The protesters carried banners and placards, and shouted slogans against the ECP’s decision, while marching on roads and streets in the town. They termed it a well thought out conspiracy against the people of the area and demanded that the ECP revisit its decision.

Leaders of various political parties, including Saifullah Shahwani of BNP-Mengal, Hafiz Adam Jumma of the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam Fazl, Jaffar Khan Baloch of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf, Rasheed Choota, Mushtaq Ahmed Shakarni and District Council member Mir Jumma Khan Shakrani addressed the participants, and condemned the ECP’s decision to add the Darhedaro area of Balochistan’s NA-260 in the Shahdadpur area of Sindh.

Terming it a well-planned conspiracy against the people of NA-260, the political leaders said the voters of this constituency would not accept this injustice and would protest against the ECP’s decision.

They said that earlier, the election commission had tried to include the area of Karkh into Sindh. However, the deputy commissioner of Khuzdar had foiled the attempt to include the Khuzdar district’s area into Sindh.

“How it is possible that an area which was part of Balochistan in the local bodies’ elections is being shown as a part of Sindh in the National Assembly constituency,” asked Mr Shakrani.

The speakers said that the people of Khuzdar district would not accept such a decision.

Published in Dawn, March 25th, 2018