The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Wednesday nullified the delimitation of six more constituencies and directed the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to carry out fresh delimitation there. A single bench of IHC comprising Justice Aamer Farooq heard the petitions filed against delimitations and declared the delimitations of constituencies of districts including Bahawalpur, Kharan, Ghotki, Sheikhupura, Haripur and Kasur as null and void.
After nullifying the delimitations of these constituencies, the IHC bench sent these cases back to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) for rehearing in the matters.
Earlier, the IHC bench had declared null and void the delimitations of constituencies in four districts including Toba Tek Singh, Lower Dir, Jhang and Jhelum and remanded back these cases to ECP for re-adjudication.
In the meantime, the IHC bench upheld ECP's delimitation decision regarding Chiniot, Khanewal, Gujranwala, Umerkot, Sialkot, Jacobabad, Rahimyar Khan, Chakwal, Bannu, Kurrum Agency, Swabi, Mansehra and Rajanpur districts and rejected petitions against the delimitations of these districts.
The IHC single bench would conduct hearing in 31 more applications against the delimitation on Thursday (today).
As per Delimitation of Constituencies Act, 1974, it is compulsory upon the government do fresh delimitation after every census.
The ECP after 2017 census had done new delimitations of national and provincial assemblies. Many of the political parties including the three major parties Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf and Pakistan Peoples Party through 108 petitions has challenged the new delimitation of which the IHC bench has already declared 10 as null and void.
The petitioners adopted in their petitions that the poll-supervisory body has done delimitation on political grounds and these should be set aside as standard procedures were not followed in the delimitation of the constituencies.
While deciding these petitions, the IHC bench said that the rules for proportion of population should be equally applied in all districts.