DERA GHAZI KHAN: New delimitations of provincial and national assembly constituencies in the districts of Dera Ghazi Khan and Rajanpur have raised concerns as the leaders of mainstream political parties in the division have rejected the move of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).

The common people fear that the delimitations could lead to public resentment and clashes between the rivals. On the other hand, PML-N Punjab General Secretary Awais Ahmed Khan Leghari, former deputy speaker of Punjab Assembly Dost Muhammad Mazari and former MPA Hanif Patafi of the PTI expressed concerns and termed creation of the new wrong.

According to the Preliminary Constituency Report released by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), there are three National Assembly constituencies and six Provincial Assembly constituencies in both Dera Ghazi Khan and Rajanpur districts. Many objections and reservations have been raised about the new delimitations, especially in the case of PP-288 and PP-289.

Syed Abdul Aleem Shah and Hanif Khan Patafi, the prominent political figures in Dera Ghazi Khan, have submitted their objections to the new delimitations of both the constituencies.

Awais Ahmed Khan Leghari also criticised the division of the city into two provincial circles, calling it perplexing as the urban area has been divided into more than two constituencies, breaking ethnic and socioeconomic boundaries. He says that the ECP has not provided data on the Patwar circles for the new delimitations, making it challenging for anyone to submit objections.

Muhammad Hanif Khan has similar concerns, particularly about the inclusion of the areas like Gadai Chongi, West Baloch Colony, Dambra Chongi, and Rechh Colony in PP-289, which, he believes, is wrong. He intends to submit his objections to address his concerns.

“The constituencies were carved out on the basis of population. Every Provincial Assembly constituency has 0.4m population while the population of DG Khan is 0.5m and the 100,000 population has been divided into other adjacent constituencies when the government should have kept the urban area united,” says Khan.

Former deputy speaker Punjab Assembly Dost Muhammad Mazari of tehsil Rujhan Mazari of district Rajanpur says the areas of his own constituency have been divided into two constituencies. He also intends to lodge an objection after receiving the complete data and having discussions with his family members.

Akhtar Hassan Gorchani of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) says not a single contestant has been left with an edge over his rivals due to the new delimitations.

The political workers of different parties have also shown their concerns over the new delimitations, saying that the development would cause confusion among voters and may also lead to clashes.

Published in Dawn, October 7th, 2023