Amendment in Elections Act likely: general elections may be held as per old delimitations of constituencies

The chairman of National Assembly Special Committee on Delimitation of Constituencies said on Wednesday that the government may amend the Elections Act 2017 to hold general elections on the basis of old delimitations, on which 2013 elections had been held. A meeting of the committee was held here in the Parliament House in the chair of Deputy Speaker National Assembly Murtaza Javed Abbasi.
Member of the committee, Naeema Kishwar of JUI-F, said the ruling party does not have required number in the Parliament to amend the Elections Act. Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan member SA Iqbal Qadri said that his party would oppose any amendment in the Elections Act. He also said that Election Commission of Pakistan is an independent institution and the Parliament cannot constitute an inquiry commission on it. Abbasi, however, said the Election Commission has committed gross violations of the Elections Act in delimitations of the constituencies and if all the political parties are on the same page then general elections cannot be delayed.
He said the Election Commission should try to restore its confidence among the parliamentarians and address the objections raised against the delimitations. The special committee discussed report of the working group of the committee that has worked under its convener Minister for Privatization Daniyal Aziz.
The working group has recommended the special committee that a constitutional amendment bill may be passed by deleting provision of provisional census data being used for the delimitations ahead of 2018 general elections. The report prepared by the working group says the final census data will not be available before the election. "Therefore, the question of delay of elections does not arise and we are well before the election schedule."
That the amendment to the section 20 of the Elections Act, 2017 be made as an Ordinance to bring the sub-rule (5) of rule 10 of Election Rules, 2017 into the main text of Act, and for blocking the fractionalization at the district level and clarifying the administrative boundaries north, clock wise and zigzag as well as cognate matters, it said.
The working group also recommended formation of an inquiry commission under Pakistan Commission of Inquiry Act, 2017 under a retired judge to inquire into the gross violation of law and rules by the delimitation committees and its motivations including but not limited to the movement of the members of the committees, their communication as well as their examination under oath.
The inquiry will cover the detailed chronology of events with regards to the recent census and compare standards and processes with regards to delimitation of final publication of census results, and the reasons and the motivation misleading the committee and the Parliament leading to the constitutional amendment for provisional census data delimitation, said the report prepared by the working group. The report also recommends filing of public interest litigation under Article 184 of the Constitution in the public interest to adjudicate on the gross violation of law and tampering of rights by the Election Commission and its motivators.
The committee agreed to the findings made by the Working Group on the Delimitation of Constituencies by the Election Commission. It was decided that the report will be circulated to all the members of the committee for their views and comments on it. Daniyal Aziz clarified that he did not say to arrest members of delimitation committees, but he wants them to appear before the inquiry commission to record their statements.
He said the officials of Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) should also appear before the inquiry commission, adding that propaganda is being done to get the general elections delayed. Aziz said the Election Commission has violated the rules in delimitations of constituencies of National Assembly and provincial assemblies. He said the Election Commission has denied handing over record of the delimitations to the working group.
Members of Pakistan Peoples Party and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf boycotted the meeting of the special committee, saying that Election Commission is the appropriate forum for filing objections against delimitations of the constituencies.