IHC reserves verdict on pleas against delimitation of some districts

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC), Tuesday, reserved its judgement on the petitions challenging the delimitation of various districts of the country.

A single bench of Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir heard the petitions challenging the delimitation of constituencies in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab, and Sindh and remarked that he would issue an appropriate order which would be useful in the future, as well.

During the hearing, Barrister Qasim Nawaz appeared before the court in a petition related to delimitation in District Sanghar. Similarly, the petitions were also moved against the delimitation in NA-93, NA-94 Chiniot, NA-106, NA-107, PP-121, PP-124 of Toba Tek Singh, and NA-8 District Bajaur.

The court reserved its verdict after hearing arguments from the respondents including the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).

During the hearing, the judge asked how assembly seats can be reduced if the country’s population has increased. He added that their hands are tied after the Supreme Court’s recent decision. He asked from the election commission’s lawyer if they announced the delimitation schedule under Section 57 and the number of voters for the National Assembly constituencies.

The bench also asked that under the Elections Act, do you have the power to merge constituencies when population increases. Tell us, where is it written in the Elections Act that if the population is increased, an area should be merged into another constituency?

Justice Tahir remarked that a census should be held every 10 years, but that does not happen here and the election commission has no authority to reduce assembly seats when the population increases.

Lawyers Syed Qamar Sabzwari, Qasim Nawaz Abbasi, and others appeared before the court on behalf of the petitioners, while the ECP was represented by Zaigham Anees and Saman Mamoon.

The ECP lawyer told the court that there should be a population of 900,000 for a region to be declared a National Assembly constituency.

The petitioner’s lawyer said that the NA-8 Bajaur constituency has a total population of 1.3 million and the constituency has also been given one constituency and the election commission itself is violating Section 20 of the Elections Act.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023