MQM-P demands general elections on new census data

ISLAMABAD: Muttahida Qaumi Movement Pakistan (MQM-P) leaders held a meeting with the election commission officials on Thursday and demanded to hold general elections 2023 on new census data and delimitations, ARY News reported.

The MQM-P delegation headed by Dr Farooq Sattar held a meeting with the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) officials today.

During the meeting, the MQM-P leaders urged ECP to organise general elections 2023 on the basis of new census data and delimitations.

The political party also expressed reservations about flaws in electoral lists and census. The MQM-P delegations also presented evidence of flaws in Karachi’s electoral lists to the ECP officials.

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Dr Farooq Sattar said that the upcoming general polls must be held on new census data. He claimed that the flaws in delimitations and voters data can be removed in 15 to 20 days.

“We demanded the prime minister for holding elections on new delimitations. The premier has also assured the MQM-P of fulfilling the demand.”

The delegation also expressed serious reservations on the recent census statistics in which Karachi’s population was undercounted. Sattar said that 30% of Karachi voters have been shifted to other constituencies far from their current residences.

The delegation urged the election commission to remove irregularities in the voter lists.

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The ECP assured the MQM-P of addressing the issues. The ECP also assured the MQM-P of shifting the millions of Karachi voters to their own constituencies.

Additionally, MQM-P submitted complaints against the provincial election commissioners to the ECP headquarters.

‘Elections on old census data’

A few days ago, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah asserted that the next general elections, scheduled to be held in 2023, will be based on the last census carried out in 2017.

READ: Next elections to be based on 2017 census: Rana Sanaullah

Speaking to a private news channel, the interior minister said that the government has decided not to notify the latest census and the upcoming elections would be held on the basis of 2017 census.

Rana Sanaullah noted that Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) – an ally of the government in the Centre – was unsatisfied with the new digital census as well. “They don’t even accept this new census,” he added.

The minister stressed that there should be consensus on census results and “any decision in haste could lead to a controversial situation” in the country.