ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Monday rejected the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan’s plea seeking suspension of the second phase of LG polls in Sindh on the ground of some flaws in the delimitation of constituencies in Karachi and Hyderabad.
A four-member bench of Election Commission, headed by Sindh member Nisar Durrani, heard the case.
The counsel for the MQM, while explaining some flaws in the delimitation of some Karachi and Hyderabad constituencies, asked the ECP to suspend the second phase of the LG polls to provide relief to the petitioner.
The MQM-P had filed a petition to the ECP challenging demarcation of some Karachi and Hyderabad constituencies for the second phase of LG polls in Sindh on the ground of what it claimed some flaws in delimitation of constituencies.
Muttahida sees ‘flaws’ in delimitation of constituencies in Karachi, Hyderabad
On Friday, the MQM-P warned that it would review its decision to participate in the upcoming August 28 local government elections in Karachi and Hyderabad while reiterating its protest over unjustified delimitation, fake voters’ list and less count of the population of Karachi in the National Census, 2017.
In a presser on Friday, MQM-P convener Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui had said: “I am here to ask the president, the prime minister and those who are guardians of law and Constitution to suggest to us where we should go for justice.”
He then shared some details of unjustified delimitation of constituencies and fake voters’ lists, alleging that the population of Karachi had been halved in the 2017 census.
Meanwhile, a five-member bench of the ECP, headed by the Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja, took up for hearing the Toshakhana case against former prime minister Imran Khan.
Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, an associate of Barrister Ali Zafar, the counsel for Mr Khan, sought three weeks’ time to file a reply.
The bench gave him a week’s time to submit a written reply and adjourned the case till Aug 29.
Published in Dawn, August 23rd, 2022
