KARACHI, Nov 9: As the delimitation tribunal concluded its proceedings by successfully disposing of objections against Karachi Central district on Saturday, the number of proposed union committees (UCs) in the city was changed to show a final recommended figure of 244.

The final proposals, as approved by key political parties, for UCs in the city saw 28 UCs more than what was suggested by the respective administrations of the five districts (Korangi so far included in Karachi East), which stood at 216.

On Saturday, only two political parties — the Pakistan Peoples Party and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement — gathered at the office of Karachi Commissioner Shoaib Ahmad Siddiqui, who presided over the tribunal to decide around 140 objections against Karachi Central’s delimitation.

Central Deputy Commissioner Dr Syed Saifur Rehman, local government director Rubina Asif, and other senior officials were there to assist the commissioner during the proceedings.

The hearing on the delimitation for Karachi Central, along with Malir district, had been scheduled on Tuesday, but the chair deferred it to Saturday when the PPP crossed swords with the MQM on the number of UCs on the basis of two lists — both official — showing 61 and 48 seats, respectively. The MQM argued for 61 seats in the district, while the PPP was in favour of 48 seats.

When they met on Saturday in the same conference room, the two parties continued the unity that they had manifested for other districts previously and discussed on the issue in a congenial environment.

Khawaja Izharul Hasan, the MQM’s deputy parliamentary leader in the Sindh Assembly, and PPP’s Karachi leader Syed Najmi Alam led the representatives of their parties.

They gave a mission statement at the outset that they were there to resolve the issues.

Surprisingly, the PPP was as amenable to accepting to the MQM’s demand for an increase in the number of UCs as it was adamant four days before that caused the delay in settlement of differences.

However, there was a price for the deal that the MQM agreed upon diligently. The PPP got its demands met on four of the district’s 61 constituencies, which included some changes in the boundaries of a couple of constituencies and renaming of as many, including the changed nomenclature for UC Khamosh Colony to UC Haji Mureed Bikik.

The time it took to end the proceedings was incredibly less than what the two parties took in trying to reach a consensus in an earlier sitting and only to defer it in the end.

Commissioner Siddiqui was all praise for the political parties’ wisdom to settle all the pressing disputes amicably and said such spirit would send a positive message in all the strata of life.

During its five-day hearings, the tribunal decided a total of 1,055 objections with most (385) filed against the delimitation of Karachi West and least (60) on Malir.

The council’s total strength — estimated after disposal of objections against the proposed delimitation — would be 322 overall, which is 36 seats more than the previous consolidated figure of 286 with the inclusion of mandatory woman and labourers/peasants seats.

Mr Siddiqui said he would compile district-wise lists by incorporating modifications and additions in the proposed constituencies and send it to the provincial local government department before the latter’s office opened on Monday.

“A lot of work remains to be completed, which we will do in time to send the final recommendations to the local government department before they open their office on Monday,” he said.

Officials said the number of UCs, recommended after the conclusion of the tribunal hearings, in the five districts totalled 244 with Karachi East having the most (66 UCs, 14 more than the previously proposed).

The break-up of the proposed UCs submitted by other districts suggested 61 UCs (13 more than previously proposed) for Karachi Central and 49 UCs (one more than proposed) for Karachi West. The number of UCs for Karachi South (48) and Malir (20) remained as previously proposed.

According to the Sindh Local Government Act, 2013, the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation would comprise all the elected chairmen of the UCs of the five districts of Karachi.

So if the number of the recommended UCs is approved, the city council will have 244 members who get directly elected as chairmen of their respective UCs.

The law further states that the reserved seats in the council to the extent of 22 per cent for women members, 5pc each for non-Muslims and labourers or peasant members to be indirectly elected by the directly elected members.

Translating the percentage in numbers with baseline of 244 elected members, the council will have at least 54 seats for female members and 12 each for labourers and religious minorities.

In the proposed set-up the city council will be 322-member-strong. Earlier, the KMC’s council consisted of 262 councillors, who would elect their mayor and deputy mayor.

In the system introduced by Gen Pervez Musharraf’s regime, the KMC was renamed as the city district government Karachi with each of its KP (Karachi Panchayat as it called then) or constituency — 178 in total — having been made a union council with 21 members with a nazim and a naib nazim.

In the new Sindh Local Government Act, 2013, the KMC took its old title back and union councils have been made union committees in its urban areas.

The city’s district council has also been revived to cater to the rural parts on the fringes of the city. Proposed delimitation has given 21 union councils to Malir and three to Karachi West.

The new law has traces of Gen Musharraf’s law — the Sindh Local Government Ordinance, 2001 — and departure from Gen Ziaul Haq’s Sindh SLGO, 1979, in which a KP could elect just a councillor to become member of the KMC council.

Now, each ward has a union committee, in place of a union council as introduced during 2000s, which would comprise of a chairman and a vice chairman as joint candidates, four general members and one member each on woman, labourer or peasant and non-Muslim seats.

The elected chairmen of the UCs would be members of the KMC council.

The metropolitan corporation will elect a mayor and a deputy mayor from amongst its members elected.

Same procedure and formula will be adopted for the five district municipal corporations (DMCs) of the city. Thus, the council of each DMC should have the strength on the formula with 22pc woman seats and 5pc each labourers or peasants seats as below:Karachi East (87 members), Karachi South (65 members), Karachi Central (80 members), Karachi West (66 members) and Malir (27 members).

The officials, however, had opaque views over the status of the newly formed Korangi district, which had been carved out of Karachi East. Besides, recently, the provincial government made certain basic changes in other districts barring the district central.They said they had instructions for delimitations of the five districts on their status till Nov 4 i.e. before the notification for the Korangi district and changes in other four districts.

However, they said if no UC overlaps a neighbouring district, Korangi’s delimitations would remain intact whatever it showed in the previous Karachi East district.