ISLAMABAD / KARACHI: Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar on Monday clearly indicated that the upcoming general polls would be held on the basis of the 2017 census, prompting a terse response from Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM-P) which demanded fresh delimitations on the basis of the latest census.

“If the new census is not approved then constituencies are drawn up on the basis of the previous census and elections are held on the same,” the PML-N leader told reporters after an in-camera meeting of the parliamentary committee on electoral reforms. The meeting was chaired by Minister for Economic Affairs Sardar Ayaz Sadiq.

The remarks came days after Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah disclosed the government’s intention not to notify the official results of the latest census.

Mr Tarar said that the committee’s recommendations would be made public shortly, emphasising the government’s “commitment to transparency” in the electoral process. He said the parliamentary panel has almost finalised its proposals to amend the Elections Act.

He said the proposed electoral reforms will now be converted into a bill. Though the draft of dozens of last-minute amendments is a secret as of yet, sources say the focus of amendments is on transparency and credible results. A number of amendments to the Elections Act 2017 have been suggested to ensure the timely submission of election results.

MQM protests PML-N govt’s ‘unilateral decision’, calls on PM to fulfil promises made last year

Under one proposed amendment, the interim government will be bound to ensure alternate means of quick communication of results in areas where internet services are not available.

Some participants voiced serious reservations over delay in the announcement of election results, leading to an agreement that results submitted after an ordinate delay will not be accepted.

The members of the committee also agreed to make it mandatory for the presiding officer to submit election results within a specific time period. They recommended that in case of a delay, the presiding officer should be bound to provide cogent reasons for the delay.

The returning officers will ensure provision of high-tech communication devices to the presiding officers, it was proposed. A presiding officer will be bound to send a picture of the document carrying election results and signature to the returning officer.

MQM miffed

In response to the statement made by the law minister, MQM chief Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, whose party parted ways with Imran Khan to support the PDM’s no-trust move last year, demanded elections on the basis of the latest census.

The government ally warned that the decision regarding the next polls without taking it on board would be treated as an “attack on its right” as a coalition partner. “We are absolutely in favour of timely elections,” the MQM-P convenor said in response to a question during a press conference at the party’s headquarters.

“But we cannot support elections on the basis of old [2017] census. It was one of our basic demands when we supported them [PDM]. You can’t decide on your own without taking us on board. It is primarily the responsibility of the PML-N to take us into confidence. The notification regarding fresh census and delimitations are crucial before the next polls.”

He mainly targeted the PML-N for failing to fulfill promises it had made with the MQM-P while forming the government in April 2022. The party, he said, focused on only two demands while parting ways with the PTI but none of them materialised even after more than a year.

“We had only two demands,” he said. “We wanted fresh delimitation on the basis of fair census and recovery of missing workers. If you look into these demands they speak volumes of our commitment to the people of Karachi and their rights… But after more than a year when the term of this government is almost over, we have seen no progress on both demands.”

Mustafa Kamal claimed more than five million people Karachiites were added to the fresh census only through efforts of the MQM-P. He said it was akin to “stealing the mandate of the urban Sindh”.

“We spent our energy, time and resources to get 5.6 million Karachiites counted which were left out in initial phase of the [digital] census. We count it as our achievement and now we are told to rely on the 2017 census for the next elections. It is unjust and unacceptable,” he added.

Published in Dawn, July 18th, 2023