The Muttahida Qaumi Movement –Pakistan has challenged the creation of District Keamari in the Sindh High Court. It said Karachi’s seventh district has been created illegally. It has asked to be made party to PTI MNA Aamir Liaquat’s petition against the creation of the district. Liaquat’s petition was filed on August 24. The MQM-P argued that both District Keamari and DMC Keamari’s creation is illegal because a population census was not carried out before their creation. The party claims the Sindh government’s decision was political, not administrative. According to revenue laws, before the creation of a new district a public hearing must be held and this was not done, argued the MQM lawyer. In fact, public opinion on the matter was not sought at all. The final list of the 2018 population census hasn’t been issued yet so until it is, this move is illegal and unconstitutional, the MQM has said. The creation of this new district will influence the national and provincial assembly seats as well as the upcoming local government elections, reads the petition. It has also said that despite the matter being in court, a notification was issued for the creation of the Keamari DMC, which is evidence of ill intention on the part of the government. Karachi’s seventh district was formed on August 20, 2020. It was carved out of District West on the approval of the provincial cabinet. All 19 members of the cabinet approved the move and all of them are from the PPP. Keamari, SITE, Baldia, Mauripur and Karachi Fish Harbour are part of the new district. The Sindh government bifurcated District West into two. It earlier had a population of around four million with major areas of Keamari, Baldia Town, SITE and Orangi. There are a total of 46 union councils in District West, of which 22 were under the control of MQM-P.
