KARACHI, Dec 4: The Muttahida Qaumi Movement on Wednesday moved the Sindh High Court against the new delimitation of constituencies for the local government election in the city.

The petition, filed through MQM leader Dr Farooq Sattar, will come up for a preliminary hearing on Thursday (today).

The chief secretary, local government secretary, provincial census commissioner, city commissioner, and deputy commissioners of district east, west, central, south and Malir have been impleaded as respondents.

The petitioner submitted in the petition that the provincial government had illegally and mala fidely legislated the Sindh Local Government Act, 2013, which was also challenged by the party in the Supreme Court as the new law contradicted Article 140-A of the constitution.

He said that union councils were given status of union committees in urban areas and the district council in Karachi division was abolished under the new law, which was notified on Nov 12.Dr Sattar said that the new Act provided that each union council in rural areas shall comprise population from 10,000 to 15,000 while a union committee in metropolitan corporations would consist of 40,000 to 50,000 people.

He contended that 38 union committees for district Malir were notified, although all functionaries for district Malir had earlier agreed that there would be 20 committees and 21 union councils for the Malir district, which became a total of 41.

The petitioner submitted that some constituencies were given more representation as compared to others.

Besides, he added that union councils of Shah Mureed and Mai Garhi, which otherwise fell in Karachi’s district east, had been moved into Malir and the union council Gabopat falling in the West district was included into the South district.

Dr Sattar submitted that five committees — Muhammad Brohi Goth, Ayub Goth, Abbas Town, Gulzar Hijri and Safoora Goth — had been shifted from Malir to district east, which was mala fide of respondents.

He stated that the deputy commissioner of South had invited the delimitation proposals, showing the population of 17 union committees based on estimation, which was illegal as the new law suggested that delimitation shall be made according to the last population census.

The petitioner party asked the court to declare the delimitation of constituencies illegal and restrain authorities from conducting local government elections in the Malir and South districts.

Lawmaker’s degree case

A division bench put off the hearing of a constitutional petition seeking disqualification of Pakistan Peoples Party lawmaker Shazia Marri after the University of Karachi placed on record the entire record regarding her graduation degree.

The petition against Ms Marri was filed by Atta Mohammad Chandio, a voter of NA-235 (Sanghar), which was won by the PPP candidate in the by-election in August.

The petitioner sought her disqualification for allegedly using a graduation degree of a woman, her namesake and resident of Agra Taj Colony in Lyari, to contest elections since 2002.

He said the university record confirmed that the impugned degree was issued to Shazia, daughter of Atta Mohammad, a student of Ronaq-i-Islam Collage for Women in Lyari. The petitioner claimed that the MNA’s education record, including her date of birth, father’s name, signature and home address, did not match her credentials that she gave to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).

The petitioner asked the court to direct the ECP to declare Ms Marri disqualified for the public office since 2002, and order the recovery of the perks and privileges she availed during the last 11 years and the initiation of criminal proceedings against her.

The court adjourned the hearing to Dec 18.