Dear friends,
Below is my Editorial in Business Recorder published April 6, 2018. Those interested can access my writings since 2009 on my blog: rashed-rahman.blogspot.com
Delimitation controversy
As the last date for objections to the new delimitation of constituencies for the upcoming general elections expired on April 3, 2018, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) warned against creating any controversy on the issue. The warning was directed at the Working Group of the Special Committee of the National Assembly on Delimitation of Constituencies. The other day the Working Group met under Danyal Aziz with the opposition, including the PPP and PTI, absent. It produced a report that is controversial and in the eyes of some analysts, the perfect recipe for delaying the elections. Reportedly, Danyal Aziz has a conflict of interest in these proceedings since the fresh delimitation has ‘deprived’ him of his constituency. Others too may have suffered the same fate. Nevertheless, since Danyal Aziz heads the Working Group that produced the report that proposes a reversal of the recent constitutional amendment to allow the holding of the general elections on the basis of the provisional results of the latest census, the affair smacks of vested interest getting in the way of proper legal procedure. The ECP has in any case refused to appear before the Working Group on the grounds that no other institution is empowered under the law to intervene in or interfere with the delimitation of constituencies, which is exclusively the purview of the ECP. The Working Group report on the other hand seeks a detailed probe against the ECP in the matter of delimitation. It also recommends filing a petition in the Supreme Court to order the ECP to carry out rectification of ‘violations’ in the matter. Last but not least, the Working Group report is about to be placed before the Special Committee as a whole. Reports conclude it is unlikely that the Working Group report and its recommendations will be approved by the Special Committee. Apart from reservations about the report and its contents, including a recommendation to hold the next general elections on the basis of the existing constituencies, the opposition, particularly the PPP and PTI, are probably poised to take Danyal Aziz’s ‘solo flight’ to task.
But it is not only the opposition that has reservations about Danyal Aziz’s endeavours. The government, certainly the ruling PML-N, seems anxious to distance itself from Danyal Aziz’s fulminations. Federal Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal has already expressed his view that the Working Group’s report is not the view of the government or PML-N but solely that of Danyal Aziz. He has also pointed out that the proper procedure in case of objections to the fresh delimitations is to make a representation to the ECP. Apart from Danyal Aziz and his Working Group, many have indeed taken that route. The ECP says it will be dealing with some 1,286 representations and objections forwarded to it over the next month or so. Danyal Aziz can therefore continue his quest to roll back the consensus constitutional amendment ratifying the use of the latest census for delimitation and attempt to circumvent the ECP’s remit through the Supreme Court or other forums, but this seems unlikely to succeed. In the process though, he will be isolating himself not only as far as the opposition is concerned, but even his own party’s leadership. The best advice for Danyal Aziz and others who think like him would be, cease and desist in your Quixotic and controversial quest sir, and adhere instead to the procedure laid down in the law for getting any delimitation grievances you may have addressed in the proper manner. To have to state this reflects the immaturity and ‘amateurishness’ of some of our politicians. To represent the people of Pakistan and make them proud, our elected representatives need to set examples of adherence to the letter and spirit of the law, no matter what the consequences, not try to play clever for purely personal gain.
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