by Ishaq Tanoli in Dawn, November 13th, 2020
KARACHI: The Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan leaders on Thursday slammed the Sindh government for carving out the seventh district out of Karachi and approached the Sindh High Court against the creation of Keamari district.
They contended that it was not an administrative decision, but an attempt to divide the city on ethnic lines and strengthen the political position of the Pakistan Peoples Party.
The MQM leaders, Khawaja Izharul Hasan and Salman Mujahid, were talking to journalists on the premises of the SHC after filing an application along with a party supporter from Keamari to become an intervener in the petition already pending before the SHC challenging the notification issued in September to notify Keamari district.
They were of the view that it was a politically-motivated decision made without consulting the stakeholders and the people of the area, adding that the decision was made to achieve political goals by the ruling party in Sindh as the final result of the population census 2017 has not yet been announced while the delimitation of local government jurisdictions in the province has also not yet been carried out.
The MQM leaders further said that provincial government had so far submitted nothing in court to justify the move apart from a notification of the new district.
It was contended in the application that despite pendency of the petition in question, the provincial authorities had also notified the district municipal corporation of Keamari.
It further argued that under the relevant laws, it was mandatory to hold a public hearing before creating a new district and contended that the move was unconstitutional and illegal and pleaded to set aside the notification of the new district.
Initially, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf MNA from Karachi Aamir Liaquat Hussain had petitioned the SHC against the Sindh government for carving out a new district out of Karachi and contended that it was done in violation of law and proper procedure had also not been followed.
The provincial government had created the new district of Keamari through a notification issued on Sept 4….
www.dawn.com/news/1590050/mqm-challenges-in-court-ethnic-based-illegal-creation-of-keamari-district
