Deadlock persists between govt, opposition on delimitation of constituencies

ISLAMABAD - Parliamentary leaders on Wednesday again failed to reach a consensus over the delimitation of constituencies in the backdrop of the latest census.

A meeting of parliamentary parties, chaired by National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq, was held in Islamabad to forge consensus but could not make headway over the issue.

Commenting on a Pakistan Peoples Party's demand to decide the matter in a meeting of the Council of Common Interests (CCI), Sadiq said a consultation will have to be carried out with the government if the issue could be taken up in the CCI.

On Tuesday, representatives of the parliamentary parties also met to discuss the issue but they failed to break the ice about delimitation of the constituencies.

The leaders were asked to consult with their party leadership regarding the issue and bring proposals during the meeting on Wednesday.

According to Sadiq, all parliamentary leaders agreed to hold next general elections on time.

Last week, the parties had agreed to keep the numbers of NA seats unchanged but change the quota of the provincial in wake of the census results.

The opposition parties, including PPP, PTI and MQM withdrew their support at a time when the bill was tabled for 25th amendment. Most of the government legislators avoided the bill as they did not attend the session.

The government on Nov 6 discontinued the session and the decision was reviled by the Opposition Leader Khursheed Shah during a media talk.

The ECP has given a deadline to the parliament to pass necessary legislation till November 10 in order to avoid delays in holding elections next year.