CCI meeting, final results of census: SHC orders federal government to submit report

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Thursday sought a report about the meeting of the Council of Common Interests (CCI) and final results of the national census and ordered the federal government to submit it on October 13.

A division bench of the SHC, headed by Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar, issued these orders on a petition against the constitution of a committee including assistant commissioners, deputy commissioner and others by the Election Commission for delimitations for local government elections in the districts of Sindh.

The court expressed its displeasure over failure to issue notification regarding final results of the census. On the one hand, holding of local bodies elections was being talked about, and on the other hand results of the national census were not being released, Justice Mazhar remarked.

"The CCI has constituted a committee to review the results of the national census," a representative of the CCI told the court when Justice Mazhar inquired about the time required to release the final results of the census.

The bench remarked that now a sub-committee would be formed over this committee, and all these committees would sit over the results of the census. Justice Mazhar questioned whether the delay in releasing the result of the national census not a problem for anyone. The CCI representative submitted that a committee had been constituted in January this year.

The bench stated that the CCI committee was required to review the final results of the national census in two months' time. However, these have not been released even after a lapse of eight months.

"Now the time is being sought again. Don't you want to hold local government elections?" Justice Mazhar asked and added that the Election Commission is saying that it is ready to hold the elections.

He said that if the federal government is not willing to hold local government elections, then everyone would be sitting quietly. He said that delimitations would be carried out after the results of the national census so when would the local bodies' elections be held.

The court ordered the federal government to submit a report about the meeting of the CCI and the final results of the national census by October 13. Aamir Khan, Kanwar Naveed Jameel and Wasim Akhtar of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) filed the petition in the SHC, challenging the notification of the Election Commission regarding inclusion of deputy commissioner and assistant commissioner in the committee to carry out delimitations in the districts of Sindh.

They submitted that the committee for delimitations was illegal as the procedure for it was devised in 2013 and stated that this committee might influence the local government elections. They prayed the court to declare this committee illegal and ultra vires to the law and rules.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2020