LHC decision on dam to deepen chaos

The MQM chief Altaf Hussain said on Thursday the Lahore High Court decision regarding the construction of the Kalabagh Dam would deepen chaos in the country, according to a press release. Addressing a gathering of MQM legislators, lawyers, legal experts and party office-bearers over telephone at the Nine Zero, he said it was for the provinces, not the court, to decide about the dam construction. He said such decisions were to be taken by the provinces therefore they fell outside the court’s jurisdiction. He said such decisions were likely to polarise provinces at a time when unity was the need of the hour. Altaf also said that the Chief Justice-led Supreme Court bench had held that the new delimitation should be carried out according to law, but the remark by an honourable member of the bench negated Section 9 of the Delimitation Act of 1974 as it did not contain the word monopoly. “It is not within the purview of any court but the democratic right of the public to vote for any party in any constituency. No one has the right to take away this right of the people, and such remarks tend to deprive the people of their democratic right.” Altaf demanded the President of Pakistan, the federation, the chief justice and other judges of the Supreme Court take notice of the issue.