PakistaniNawab
FULL MEMBER
- Joined
- Aug 13, 2016
- Messages
- 388
- Reaction score
- 0
- Country
- Location
Pakistan 6th Census -March 15 to May 25, 2017 l News, Update & Discussion
- Thread starter Laozi
- Start date
Kabira
BANNED
- Joined
- Jul 12, 2014
- Messages
- 14,383
- Reaction score
- -20
- Country
- Location
Population count in couple of months but full report next year.
Prelimenary results hopefully by july.But once the results are out some people will reject them like they did in the past.If the outcome does not suit their interests or they dont get desired outcome.
Kabira
BANNED
- Joined
- Jul 12, 2014
- Messages
- 14,383
- Reaction score
- -20
- Country
- Location
Sindh, Balochistan halt funds for population census amid concerns
Last Updated On 04 April,2017 01:05 pm
Balochistan has reservations on counting Afghan refugees.
KARACHI (Dunya News)- Sindh and Balochistan have halted issuance of funds for ongoing sixth population census till their concerns are not properly addressed.
While taking conclusive decision on sixth population census, it was decided in Council of Common Interests (CCI) that federation and provinces would pay expenditures incurred in accordance with money they were receiving under ‘The Distribution of Revenues and Grants-in-Aid Order, 2010’ of National Finance Commission (NFC) award. Till then, total expenditures on population census were estimated at Rs18.6 billion. Punjab was supposed to pay 51.74pc of total expenditures, Sindh 24.55pc, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 14.62pc and Balochistan 9.09pc.
A source linked to financial matters of population census, on condition of anonymity, told Roznama Dunya that Sindh has halted issuance of all funds till her concerns are not properly addressed. Likewise, Balochistan has reservations on counting Afghan refugees as it will create imbalance in ratio of Baloch and Pashtun population residing in province.
Financial Advisor of Balochistan Chief Minister Dr. Qaiser Bangali, when contacted in this regard, said he wasn’t aware of these developments. Banglai termed blockage of funds a political decision. Similarly, Sindh’s member in NFC award Senator Saleem Mandviwalla refused to comment on situation.
The story originally appeared in Roznama Dunya.
Last Updated On 04 April,2017 01:05 pm
Balochistan has reservations on counting Afghan refugees.
KARACHI (Dunya News)- Sindh and Balochistan have halted issuance of funds for ongoing sixth population census till their concerns are not properly addressed.
While taking conclusive decision on sixth population census, it was decided in Council of Common Interests (CCI) that federation and provinces would pay expenditures incurred in accordance with money they were receiving under ‘The Distribution of Revenues and Grants-in-Aid Order, 2010’ of National Finance Commission (NFC) award. Till then, total expenditures on population census were estimated at Rs18.6 billion. Punjab was supposed to pay 51.74pc of total expenditures, Sindh 24.55pc, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 14.62pc and Balochistan 9.09pc.
A source linked to financial matters of population census, on condition of anonymity, told Roznama Dunya that Sindh has halted issuance of all funds till her concerns are not properly addressed. Likewise, Balochistan has reservations on counting Afghan refugees as it will create imbalance in ratio of Baloch and Pashtun population residing in province.
Financial Advisor of Balochistan Chief Minister Dr. Qaiser Bangali, when contacted in this regard, said he wasn’t aware of these developments. Banglai termed blockage of funds a political decision. Similarly, Sindh’s member in NFC award Senator Saleem Mandviwalla refused to comment on situation.
The story originally appeared in Roznama Dunya.
Kabira
BANNED
- Joined
- Jul 12, 2014
- Messages
- 14,383
- Reaction score
- -20
- Country
- Location
Census controversies
A census is a quiet affair for most people in politically stable and institutionally strong countries, where the national head count runs relatively smooth and is reliably decennial. But in Pakistan, the national census is always met with suspicion, reservations, boycotts and charges of fraud.
For instance, in a housing count carried out in 2011, a precursor to the census, “a district in the north of Quetta, Qilla Abdullah, is said to have grown by more than 500 percent between 1998 and 2011 – from 370,000 residents then to over two million”.
This was confirmed by the former chief census commissioner, Habibullah Khattak, in his briefing to the National Assembly Committee on Economic Affairs and Statistics in January 2012. He also testified that a systematic over-counting of houses occurred in the Pakhtun areas in Balochistan while there was undercounting in the ethnic Baloch areas in the province.
Why is the inflation of population numbers encouraged? The answer is very simple: the flawed Pakistani federal structure is built and linked with the numbers game – the population.
Census results decide the balance of political power in a country divided over a workable framework on power-sharing and resource distribution. Provinces end up accusing each other of rigging the census for political gains.
The census results in Pakistan guide electoral delimitation, the number of seats in the National Assembly, share of revenues distributed through a controversial National Finance Commission and much-needed jobs and civil service hiring. Population strength forms 82 percent when allocating financial resources from the federation to the provinces and only 10.3 percent weight is given to poverty and backwardness.
Population as a determinant of resource distribution is not mentioned anywhere in the constitution. However, population as a criterion for the distribution of National Assembly seats is mentioned in Sub-section 5 of Article 51 of the constitution.
How did population become the super-dominant criterion to distribute wealth among the federating units? The National Finance Commission (NFC) is the one that gets to discuss and decide on ‘agreed’ formulas for resource distribution from the centre to the provinces.
Since the National Assembly is based on population, it is obvious that the province with the highest number of population will dominate the power structure and get top slots like prime-ministership and other ministries.
Practically, all commissions and institutions are dominated by the province with the highest number of population. The NFC is composed of the federal finance minister as chairperson, four provincial finance ministers, the president’s nominee appointed with consultation with the governors of the provinces.
It is obvious that in a commission of six, if a single province has three members, the outcome will always have to be favourable towards the ‘largest province’. In this way, that province would no doubt want the population criteria to be the super-dominant factor when it comes to resource distribution.
Balochistan has been raising the issue of unjust distribution of resources since the inception of the first NFC in 1974. The province has demanded that land, natural resources, strategic location, under-development and poverty should all be given equal importance when allocating resources – but to no avail.
Similarly, on the issue of jobs in the civil service, Pakistan’s constitution does not dictate that the relative population percentages of every ethnic and religious group must be used to determine the mix of those groups in all kinds of federal appointments.
Nevertheless, constitutional guarantees have been moulded through subsidiary legislation and acts of parliament, passed in a National Assembly dominated by a single province. This reframes the overall meaning of the federation.
Since the entire idea behind the census revolves around ‘population count for resources’, the results will always remain questionable, superficial and flawed.
Some also fear that census results could be tampered with. It is because of the excessive centralisation of collecting data that past censuses were deemed controversial.
According to the constitution (schedule IV, item no 9 of the Federal Legislative List Part II) the census is the CCI’s subject; the CCI is the constitutional and legal body to supervise the process of the census. Since the CCI does not have any permanent secretariat and has been kept a weak body, the census responsibility was shifted to the centre in 1974. More recently, after the 18th Amendment, the General Statistics (Re-organization) Act, 2011 transferred the control of the census to the federal government away from the CCI, contrary to what has been stipulated in the constitution.
The 18th Amendment placed huge responsibilities on the provinces and now it is the provinces that need the most to have accurate statistics about the socio-economic health and number of their residents so as to develop relevant polices and carry out effective interventions.
In addition, without the consent of the provinces, the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) introduced a number of mandatory prerequisites to be counted in the census. These will eventually affect the people of Balochistan, Sindh and Fata.
The possession of a CNIC as a mandatory requirement to register in the census will have serious implications for Balochistan’s residents. A large number of the population will remain unaccounted for. Over 40 percent of the population in Balochistan, particularly people living in the conflict-ridden and inaccessible parts of the province, do not possess CNICs.
During the last ten years, Nadra made all possible efforts to expand its organisational presence in Punjab but didn’t focus on Balochistan, Fata and Sindh. For instance, currently Nadra has approximately over 400 offices/outlets in Punjab. In Balochistan, though, it has 34 offices to issue CNICs, with 10 of them in Quetta.
The PBS didn’t inform provinces and made no efforts to sensitise the people about the mandatory CNIC possession factor for the census. This could seem like an exclusionary tactic against the Baloch, Sindhi and Pakhtun population that live in remote and disturbed parts of Pakistan.
Another major issue that is going to have serious implications for Balochistan and the ethnic Baloch population is that over 30 percent of the population in many districts is displaced due to the ongoing conflict in the province.
In addition, a large number of Afghan refugees in Balochistan have reportedly acquired Pakistani CNICs. There are also reports that census staff are reluctant to work in the more sensitive areas of the province. There have also been attempts to discourage the census staff from taking part in the process.
One wishes the honourable courts had – before ruling on the holding of the census – asked the federation and the provinces to submit details of their preparedness, the status of CNIC holders in their respective provinces, and the content of the census form (which is full of errors). The PBS could also have been asked to disclose its policy of civic education prior to carrying out the census.
In Islamabad there is no one who really understands the ground realities in Balochistan, whose suffering is pushed under the carpet.
The writer Sanaullah Baloch is a former senator from Balochistan.
Email: balochbnp@gmail.com
https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/196522-Census-controversies
A census is a quiet affair for most people in politically stable and institutionally strong countries, where the national head count runs relatively smooth and is reliably decennial. But in Pakistan, the national census is always met with suspicion, reservations, boycotts and charges of fraud.
For instance, in a housing count carried out in 2011, a precursor to the census, “a district in the north of Quetta, Qilla Abdullah, is said to have grown by more than 500 percent between 1998 and 2011 – from 370,000 residents then to over two million”.
This was confirmed by the former chief census commissioner, Habibullah Khattak, in his briefing to the National Assembly Committee on Economic Affairs and Statistics in January 2012. He also testified that a systematic over-counting of houses occurred in the Pakhtun areas in Balochistan while there was undercounting in the ethnic Baloch areas in the province.
Why is the inflation of population numbers encouraged? The answer is very simple: the flawed Pakistani federal structure is built and linked with the numbers game – the population.
Census results decide the balance of political power in a country divided over a workable framework on power-sharing and resource distribution. Provinces end up accusing each other of rigging the census for political gains.
The census results in Pakistan guide electoral delimitation, the number of seats in the National Assembly, share of revenues distributed through a controversial National Finance Commission and much-needed jobs and civil service hiring. Population strength forms 82 percent when allocating financial resources from the federation to the provinces and only 10.3 percent weight is given to poverty and backwardness.
Population as a determinant of resource distribution is not mentioned anywhere in the constitution. However, population as a criterion for the distribution of National Assembly seats is mentioned in Sub-section 5 of Article 51 of the constitution.
How did population become the super-dominant criterion to distribute wealth among the federating units? The National Finance Commission (NFC) is the one that gets to discuss and decide on ‘agreed’ formulas for resource distribution from the centre to the provinces.
Since the National Assembly is based on population, it is obvious that the province with the highest number of population will dominate the power structure and get top slots like prime-ministership and other ministries.
Practically, all commissions and institutions are dominated by the province with the highest number of population. The NFC is composed of the federal finance minister as chairperson, four provincial finance ministers, the president’s nominee appointed with consultation with the governors of the provinces.
It is obvious that in a commission of six, if a single province has three members, the outcome will always have to be favourable towards the ‘largest province’. In this way, that province would no doubt want the population criteria to be the super-dominant factor when it comes to resource distribution.
Balochistan has been raising the issue of unjust distribution of resources since the inception of the first NFC in 1974. The province has demanded that land, natural resources, strategic location, under-development and poverty should all be given equal importance when allocating resources – but to no avail.
Similarly, on the issue of jobs in the civil service, Pakistan’s constitution does not dictate that the relative population percentages of every ethnic and religious group must be used to determine the mix of those groups in all kinds of federal appointments.
Nevertheless, constitutional guarantees have been moulded through subsidiary legislation and acts of parliament, passed in a National Assembly dominated by a single province. This reframes the overall meaning of the federation.
Since the entire idea behind the census revolves around ‘population count for resources’, the results will always remain questionable, superficial and flawed.
Some also fear that census results could be tampered with. It is because of the excessive centralisation of collecting data that past censuses were deemed controversial.
According to the constitution (schedule IV, item no 9 of the Federal Legislative List Part II) the census is the CCI’s subject; the CCI is the constitutional and legal body to supervise the process of the census. Since the CCI does not have any permanent secretariat and has been kept a weak body, the census responsibility was shifted to the centre in 1974. More recently, after the 18th Amendment, the General Statistics (Re-organization) Act, 2011 transferred the control of the census to the federal government away from the CCI, contrary to what has been stipulated in the constitution.
The 18th Amendment placed huge responsibilities on the provinces and now it is the provinces that need the most to have accurate statistics about the socio-economic health and number of their residents so as to develop relevant polices and carry out effective interventions.
In addition, without the consent of the provinces, the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) introduced a number of mandatory prerequisites to be counted in the census. These will eventually affect the people of Balochistan, Sindh and Fata.
The possession of a CNIC as a mandatory requirement to register in the census will have serious implications for Balochistan’s residents. A large number of the population will remain unaccounted for. Over 40 percent of the population in Balochistan, particularly people living in the conflict-ridden and inaccessible parts of the province, do not possess CNICs.
During the last ten years, Nadra made all possible efforts to expand its organisational presence in Punjab but didn’t focus on Balochistan, Fata and Sindh. For instance, currently Nadra has approximately over 400 offices/outlets in Punjab. In Balochistan, though, it has 34 offices to issue CNICs, with 10 of them in Quetta.
The PBS didn’t inform provinces and made no efforts to sensitise the people about the mandatory CNIC possession factor for the census. This could seem like an exclusionary tactic against the Baloch, Sindhi and Pakhtun population that live in remote and disturbed parts of Pakistan.
Another major issue that is going to have serious implications for Balochistan and the ethnic Baloch population is that over 30 percent of the population in many districts is displaced due to the ongoing conflict in the province.
In addition, a large number of Afghan refugees in Balochistan have reportedly acquired Pakistani CNICs. There are also reports that census staff are reluctant to work in the more sensitive areas of the province. There have also been attempts to discourage the census staff from taking part in the process.
One wishes the honourable courts had – before ruling on the holding of the census – asked the federation and the provinces to submit details of their preparedness, the status of CNIC holders in their respective provinces, and the content of the census form (which is full of errors). The PBS could also have been asked to disclose its policy of civic education prior to carrying out the census.
In Islamabad there is no one who really understands the ground realities in Balochistan, whose suffering is pushed under the carpet.
The writer Sanaullah Baloch is a former senator from Balochistan.
Email: balochbnp@gmail.com
https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/196522-Census-controversies
Kabira
BANNED
- Joined
- Jul 12, 2014
- Messages
- 14,383
- Reaction score
- -20
- Country
- Location
Census process to be held as per routine in FATA except North, South Waziristan: Bajwa
ISLAMABAD: Chief Census Commissioner, Asif Bajwa Monday said the campaign for 6th population and housing census in Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) would be launched under normal routine except North and South Waziristan agencies where data would be collected through FATA Development Authority (FDMA).
"Census process in Orakzai Agency is already going on in a smooth way where work in second block is continued while in the remaining six agencies of FATA the campaign is scheduled to begin from April 25 under second phase", he addressing a press briefing said.
He said house listing process in 63 districts of the country during second block of Phase-I had been completed while population counting process had been started from Monday which would last till April 13.
He said the PBS had established control rooms at Tehsil levels to register complaints and over 2000 complaints had been received so far.
He said if any household was left unattended in the areas under phase-I then the house residents should call at the toll free number arranged by the government to register their complaint.
Bajwa informed that the house and population census process under second phase would be started in the remaining 86 districts of the country on April 25.
Copyright APP (Associated Press of Pakistan), 2017
ISLAMABAD: Chief Census Commissioner, Asif Bajwa Monday said the campaign for 6th population and housing census in Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) would be launched under normal routine except North and South Waziristan agencies where data would be collected through FATA Development Authority (FDMA).
"Census process in Orakzai Agency is already going on in a smooth way where work in second block is continued while in the remaining six agencies of FATA the campaign is scheduled to begin from April 25 under second phase", he addressing a press briefing said.
He said house listing process in 63 districts of the country during second block of Phase-I had been completed while population counting process had been started from Monday which would last till April 13.
He said the PBS had established control rooms at Tehsil levels to register complaints and over 2000 complaints had been received so far.
He said if any household was left unattended in the areas under phase-I then the house residents should call at the toll free number arranged by the government to register their complaint.
Bajwa informed that the house and population census process under second phase would be started in the remaining 86 districts of the country on April 25.
Copyright APP (Associated Press of Pakistan), 2017
NakedLunch
BANNED
- Joined
- Dec 31, 2016
- Messages
- 2,300
- Reaction score
- 0
- Country
- Location
https://www.dawn.com/news/1325038/c...e-to-be-held-based-on-remapped-constituencies
'Census must conclude by Sept if elections are to be held based on remapped constituencies'
NADIR GURAMANI
PUBLISHED 9 MINUTES AGO
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Wednesday said the general elections will have to be held according to the current demarcation of constituencies if the national census does not conclude by September, DawnNews reported.
Addressing the National Assembly's Standing Committee for Parliamentary Affairs, Zafar Iqbal, the ECP additional secretary for training, research and evaluation, said it is crucial to conclude the population census by September this year if constituency boundaries are to be remapped for the upcoming general elections.
"If the census does not conclude by September, the upcoming election will not be held on the basis of newly-demarcated districts," Hussain said.
The statement came after a suicide bombing attack on a census team early the same day, in which at least four soldiers and two civilians lost their lives.
The Army chief, while condoling the loss of lives, said following the attack that the census would go ahead as scheduled. The Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) also issued a statement saying the data collection process would continue as planned, Geo News reported.
“The census proceedings will not be affected by the terrorist attack in Lahore,” the Bureau said in its statement, noting that: "The purpose of the attack apparently was to spread fear within the enumerators and other staff."
'Census must conclude by Sept if elections are to be held based on remapped constituencies'
NADIR GURAMANI
PUBLISHED 9 MINUTES AGO
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Wednesday said the general elections will have to be held according to the current demarcation of constituencies if the national census does not conclude by September, DawnNews reported.
Addressing the National Assembly's Standing Committee for Parliamentary Affairs, Zafar Iqbal, the ECP additional secretary for training, research and evaluation, said it is crucial to conclude the population census by September this year if constituency boundaries are to be remapped for the upcoming general elections.
"If the census does not conclude by September, the upcoming election will not be held on the basis of newly-demarcated districts," Hussain said.
The statement came after a suicide bombing attack on a census team early the same day, in which at least four soldiers and two civilians lost their lives.
The Army chief, while condoling the loss of lives, said following the attack that the census would go ahead as scheduled. The Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) also issued a statement saying the data collection process would continue as planned, Geo News reported.
“The census proceedings will not be affected by the terrorist attack in Lahore,” the Bureau said in its statement, noting that: "The purpose of the attack apparently was to spread fear within the enumerators and other staff."
Kabira
BANNED
- Joined
- Jul 12, 2014
- Messages
- 14,383
- Reaction score
- -20
- Country
- Location
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa fears population decline in census
PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has feared that the province’s population will decline by more than seven million if its residents, who have been out of the country for more than six months for work, are not counted in the ongoing national census.
It insisted most of such people usually visited the country every two years and therefore, keeping them out of the census exercise would have adverse implications for the province.
The fear was conveyed by KP senior minister for local government Inayatullah Khan to provincial census commissioner Mumtaz Ali Khan during a meeting on Friday, said a statement issued here.
The minister said the federal government should include the details of overseas Pakistanis and their family members in the census to get the correct demographic statistics of their native districts and province.
He said the counting of overseas Pakistanis would effectively address the people’s doubts about the census by ensuring transparency, fairness and credibility of the exercise.
Minister says population will fall if residents working abroad not counted
The minister said not only would the census data provide a basis for the allocation of national and provincial assembly seats but national and provincial resources would also be distributed on the basis of those statistics.
He said the population had much significance in the distribution of resources and therefore, the non-inclusion of overseas Pakistanis in the census would have serious implications for the poor and smaller provinces and districts.
The minister said millions of KP residents lived abroad, especially in Middle East, for work and therefore, keeping them out of the enumeration in native districts would significantly decrease the province’s population.
He asked the relevant quarters of the province to prepare a comprehensive report on the matter for the consideration of the chief minister.
The census commissioner assured the minister of corrective steps to address the province’s grievances on census and said he would take them up with the higher authorities as well.
Mr. Inayatullah later told Dawn that a large number of KP residents, especially from Malakand division, lived in the Middle East for work.
He said majority of such people usually visited Pakistan every two years and therefore, their exclusion from the census would harm the province’s interests.
The minister said it was possible to change the policy at the current stage of census to count such people.
He said he and chief secretary would discuss the matter and that he had taken it up with party leadership, too, to highlight it at all available forums.
Published in Dawn, April 8th, 2017
https://www.dawn.com/news/1325537/khyber-pakhtunkhwa-fears-population-decline-in-census
PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has feared that the province’s population will decline by more than seven million if its residents, who have been out of the country for more than six months for work, are not counted in the ongoing national census.
It insisted most of such people usually visited the country every two years and therefore, keeping them out of the census exercise would have adverse implications for the province.
The fear was conveyed by KP senior minister for local government Inayatullah Khan to provincial census commissioner Mumtaz Ali Khan during a meeting on Friday, said a statement issued here.
The minister said the federal government should include the details of overseas Pakistanis and their family members in the census to get the correct demographic statistics of their native districts and province.
He said the counting of overseas Pakistanis would effectively address the people’s doubts about the census by ensuring transparency, fairness and credibility of the exercise.
Minister says population will fall if residents working abroad not counted
The minister said not only would the census data provide a basis for the allocation of national and provincial assembly seats but national and provincial resources would also be distributed on the basis of those statistics.
He said the population had much significance in the distribution of resources and therefore, the non-inclusion of overseas Pakistanis in the census would have serious implications for the poor and smaller provinces and districts.
The minister said millions of KP residents lived abroad, especially in Middle East, for work and therefore, keeping them out of the enumeration in native districts would significantly decrease the province’s population.
He asked the relevant quarters of the province to prepare a comprehensive report on the matter for the consideration of the chief minister.
The census commissioner assured the minister of corrective steps to address the province’s grievances on census and said he would take them up with the higher authorities as well.
Mr. Inayatullah later told Dawn that a large number of KP residents, especially from Malakand division, lived in the Middle East for work.
He said majority of such people usually visited Pakistan every two years and therefore, their exclusion from the census would harm the province’s interests.
The minister said it was possible to change the policy at the current stage of census to count such people.
He said he and chief secretary would discuss the matter and that he had taken it up with party leadership, too, to highlight it at all available forums.
Published in Dawn, April 8th, 2017
https://www.dawn.com/news/1325537/khyber-pakhtunkhwa-fears-population-decline-in-census
LA se Karachi
FULL MEMBER
- Joined
- Jul 14, 2016
- Messages
- 1,672
- Reaction score
- 4
- Country
- Location
People who are out of the country for more than 6 months for work should be counted in the census. I don't know why they won't be...
Kabira
BANNED
- Joined
- Jul 12, 2014
- Messages
- 14,383
- Reaction score
- -20
- Country
- Location
When census officials came to my home, they didn’t know what Parsi was
LYNETTE VICCAJI
A policeman, an army ranger and a government schoolteacher come to the home of a Parsi married to a Christian. If you think that sounds like the beginning of a joke, you are partially right.
My driver informed me that the census team had arrived. It was a dry, gusty day, and the three looked rather the worse for wear. I invited them to come in and sit down, but they bravely refused, saying that this would take just a few minutes. Famous last words.
So we stood in my gateway, amid little dunes of piled-up sand. Balancing his register on one arm, the schoolteacher held his pen poised over the page.
“Names?” he asked.
“Here we go again,” I thought. Our names have been mangled so many times by Pakistani officialdom, that I have lost count of the variations. To spare him and ourselves this misery, I offered to write them in for him. He wouldn’t have it. He was writing in Urdu, so this would be a matter of phonetics.
I carefully enunciated each name, watching as the man exercised all his ingenuity to translate the alien sounds into letters.
Then the inevitable question, “Are you Pakistani?”
Yes, I assured him, we are all Pakistani.
He asked me if we had moved to Karachi from another country.
I told him that we haven’t.
“Well, my husband came from India with his parents when he was a child, but he is now very much a Pakistani, and the rest of us were all born here.”
“Yes, our first language is English. Yes, we are Pakistani, but our first language is English – look, I’m talking to you in Urdu right now, aren’t I?”
Ages, marital status, education and employment all went smoothly. Then came religion. The pen hovered over my husband’s name.
“Parsi,” I said. Blank stares.
“Zoroastrian,” I said. More blank looks.
“It’s a religion,” I assured them.
Three heads crowded together as they searched the alternatives in the form: Muslim, Hindu, Christian, Ahmedi, and Scheduled Castes. No Parsis. Consternation. The policeman came to the rescue. “Other!” he said triumphantly, pointing to the last alternative. Sighs of relief all around. So they chose ‘other’.
With my beautiful family at our home. – Photo: author
As they were about to put me into this category as well, I delivered another bombshell. “I’m a Christian.” Well, at least that had a category to itself, but I still received incredulous looks. Before they could ask again, I reassured them that we were Pakistani. They needed my NIC number, so I produced my card, which must have gone some way to reassuring them of my citizenship.
However, true to my profession, I couldn’t let go of this teachable moment. “You must have heard of Parsis,” I said.
“There are very few of them left now, but they were and are an important part of this city. Jehangir Kothari Parade?” They had never heard of it.
“Avari? Avari hotels?” I asked in desperation. Finally, familiarity flickered in their eyes when I told them Mr Avari is a Parsi.
Then I delivered the coup de grace: “Haven’t you heard of the Quaid-i-Azam’s wife? Ruttie Jinnah? She was a Parsi.”
They laughed and looked at each other in amazement. They clearly hadn’t heard of this part of history.
“Today we have increased our knowledge!” Grinning good-naturedly, they thanked me.
As they were leaving, I gave them a bottle of cold water to toast their enlightenment.
How is your life in Pakistan as a minority? Share your thoughts with us atblog@dawn.com
LYNETTE VICCAJI
A policeman, an army ranger and a government schoolteacher come to the home of a Parsi married to a Christian. If you think that sounds like the beginning of a joke, you are partially right.
My driver informed me that the census team had arrived. It was a dry, gusty day, and the three looked rather the worse for wear. I invited them to come in and sit down, but they bravely refused, saying that this would take just a few minutes. Famous last words.
So we stood in my gateway, amid little dunes of piled-up sand. Balancing his register on one arm, the schoolteacher held his pen poised over the page.
“Names?” he asked.
“Here we go again,” I thought. Our names have been mangled so many times by Pakistani officialdom, that I have lost count of the variations. To spare him and ourselves this misery, I offered to write them in for him. He wouldn’t have it. He was writing in Urdu, so this would be a matter of phonetics.
I carefully enunciated each name, watching as the man exercised all his ingenuity to translate the alien sounds into letters.
Then the inevitable question, “Are you Pakistani?”
Yes, I assured him, we are all Pakistani.
He asked me if we had moved to Karachi from another country.
I told him that we haven’t.
“Well, my husband came from India with his parents when he was a child, but he is now very much a Pakistani, and the rest of us were all born here.”
“Yes, our first language is English. Yes, we are Pakistani, but our first language is English – look, I’m talking to you in Urdu right now, aren’t I?”
Ages, marital status, education and employment all went smoothly. Then came religion. The pen hovered over my husband’s name.
“Parsi,” I said. Blank stares.
“Zoroastrian,” I said. More blank looks.
“It’s a religion,” I assured them.
Three heads crowded together as they searched the alternatives in the form: Muslim, Hindu, Christian, Ahmedi, and Scheduled Castes. No Parsis. Consternation. The policeman came to the rescue. “Other!” he said triumphantly, pointing to the last alternative. Sighs of relief all around. So they chose ‘other’.
With my beautiful family at our home. – Photo: author
As they were about to put me into this category as well, I delivered another bombshell. “I’m a Christian.” Well, at least that had a category to itself, but I still received incredulous looks. Before they could ask again, I reassured them that we were Pakistani. They needed my NIC number, so I produced my card, which must have gone some way to reassuring them of my citizenship.
However, true to my profession, I couldn’t let go of this teachable moment. “You must have heard of Parsis,” I said.
“There are very few of them left now, but they were and are an important part of this city. Jehangir Kothari Parade?” They had never heard of it.
“Avari? Avari hotels?” I asked in desperation. Finally, familiarity flickered in their eyes when I told them Mr Avari is a Parsi.
Then I delivered the coup de grace: “Haven’t you heard of the Quaid-i-Azam’s wife? Ruttie Jinnah? She was a Parsi.”
They laughed and looked at each other in amazement. They clearly hadn’t heard of this part of history.
“Today we have increased our knowledge!” Grinning good-naturedly, they thanked me.
As they were leaving, I gave them a bottle of cold water to toast their enlightenment.
How is your life in Pakistan as a minority? Share your thoughts with us atblog@dawn.com
Kabira
BANNED
- Joined
- Jul 12, 2014
- Messages
- 14,383
- Reaction score
- -20
- Country
- Location
JI K-P demands inclusion of overseas Pakistanis in census
JI K-P chief Mushtaq Ahmad Khan. Photo: Express
PESHAWAR: For the third time in the last two weeks, a Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) leader has asked the federal government to include details of individuals living abroad in the census to ensure an accurate population count and thus, appropriate distribution of resources.
Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Amir Mushtaq Ahmad Khan made the demand on Tuesday while addressing a press conference at the Peshawar Press Club.
Quoting figures from the Bureau of Statistics, Khan said 26 per cent of overseas Pakistanis hail from K-P, while 5 per cent are from the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, which the government is planning to merge with K-P.
“This makes it about nine million people overseas from K-P and Fata who will be left out of the headcount,” said Khan. “This will have a negative impact on the share the province receives in the National Finance Commission Award.”
The JI leader said that if these demands are not met, they will file a case in the high court and also hold a sit-in outside the Bureau of Statistics.
“The country’s future depends on this census because it will be the basis for division of resources,” said Khan. “Without counting K-P’s overseas population, the census will not reflect the province. Therefore we will not accept it.”
“Overseas Pakistanis generate billions in remittances for the country every year. It would be an injustice to leave them out of the census,” Khan insisted.
The JI leader, whose party is part of the provincial government, also asked K-P Chief Minister Pervez Khattak to take up these concerns at the meeting of Council of Common Interests because this issue directly affects the distribution of resources under NFC. “K-P is already poor and has been exploited in the past too,” he said.
Expressing his party’s dissatisfaction, Khan said the federal government did not take all stakeholders on board before launching the census. “The federal government is hiding information from the public and from political leaders,” he said.
He also accused the centre of depriving K-P of its constitutional and financial rights, saying that even though the province produces large amounts of electricity, it is still subjected to load-shedding, while royalties on electricity and gas are also not being paid.
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s Mian Maghfirat announced he was joining the JI at the gathering.
https://tribune.com.pk/story/1380882/ji-k-p-demands-inclusion-overseas-pakistanis-census/
This doesn't make sense, 9 million from KPK/FATA alone?
JI K-P chief Mushtaq Ahmad Khan. Photo: Express
PESHAWAR: For the third time in the last two weeks, a Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) leader has asked the federal government to include details of individuals living abroad in the census to ensure an accurate population count and thus, appropriate distribution of resources.
Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Amir Mushtaq Ahmad Khan made the demand on Tuesday while addressing a press conference at the Peshawar Press Club.
Quoting figures from the Bureau of Statistics, Khan said 26 per cent of overseas Pakistanis hail from K-P, while 5 per cent are from the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, which the government is planning to merge with K-P.
“This makes it about nine million people overseas from K-P and Fata who will be left out of the headcount,” said Khan. “This will have a negative impact on the share the province receives in the National Finance Commission Award.”
The JI leader said that if these demands are not met, they will file a case in the high court and also hold a sit-in outside the Bureau of Statistics.
“The country’s future depends on this census because it will be the basis for division of resources,” said Khan. “Without counting K-P’s overseas population, the census will not reflect the province. Therefore we will not accept it.”
“Overseas Pakistanis generate billions in remittances for the country every year. It would be an injustice to leave them out of the census,” Khan insisted.
The JI leader, whose party is part of the provincial government, also asked K-P Chief Minister Pervez Khattak to take up these concerns at the meeting of Council of Common Interests because this issue directly affects the distribution of resources under NFC. “K-P is already poor and has been exploited in the past too,” he said.
Expressing his party’s dissatisfaction, Khan said the federal government did not take all stakeholders on board before launching the census. “The federal government is hiding information from the public and from political leaders,” he said.
He also accused the centre of depriving K-P of its constitutional and financial rights, saying that even though the province produces large amounts of electricity, it is still subjected to load-shedding, while royalties on electricity and gas are also not being paid.
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s Mian Maghfirat announced he was joining the JI at the gathering.
https://tribune.com.pk/story/1380882/ji-k-p-demands-inclusion-overseas-pakistanis-census/
This doesn't make sense, 9 million from KPK/FATA alone?
Kabira
BANNED
- Joined
- Jul 12, 2014
- Messages
- 14,383
- Reaction score
- -20
- Country
- Location
Has the census team visited your home? Here's what to expect
Social media is abuzz with users' population census tales, reservations and observations.
The population census of Pakistan is currently underway, and citizens cannot help but tweet and post about their experiences.
The census will divulge important information on the demographics of Pakistan, so officials ask a variety of questions so data collectors can measure migration, employment trends, urbanisation, gender configuration, education rates and more since the last census was held in 1998.
Tell us about your interaction with the census team by writing tofeatures@dawn.com
Here are some #CensusStories:
Raiding the streets
George Fulton
"I thought I was being raided this morning as I opened the door to two soldiers in full camouflage uniform, webbing and holding machine guns. Only for a little, old lady to emerge from behind them to ask for my name and NIC number. Census is in action!"
Army and enumerators enter the narrowest of lanes to take details for the census - Photo credit: AFP
Provision for disabled persons
Armana Shah
"The census team [just came] again to fill the form and they entered my son's name as a normal person who is a special person (physically disabled). I asked them to enter him as a physically disabled person but the woman said she has no separate column for disabled persons. I said yes I know you are using 20 year old forms, but the Supreme Court has ordered to enter disable persons separately in the form. Again, she refused and said she is told by the seniors to enter only for transgender. But, I insisted to enter his name as a physically disabled person and then she called her senior who told her to write in the gender column.
No 3 for Transgenders
No 4 for Physically disabled man
No 5 for Physically disabled woman
Kindly tell your friends and families if they have a disabled person ask the census team to enter them as a disabled person not a normal person. So that in future hopefully they could get some facilities from the government.
Thank you."
Back to the future
Syed Shahzaman Shah
"Are we in 2017, or am I confused? Argument between these two is going on about pen or pencil, which is nonsense I think. With 3G/4G available in most places in Pakistan can't we do census by giving tablet/mobile devices to enumerators and have real-time transparent demographic updates. Does anyone know how it is done in developed countries?"
Head of the house
Nighat Dad
"Census team: Please call head of the house.
Me: I am head of the house.
Census team: No we meant, 'send a man, your husband? Or father or brother.
Me: Umm I am head of the house.
Census team: Ugh acha...how do you run the house?
Me: I am a lawyer and have my own organisation.
Census team: Lawyer of High Court?
Me: Yes.
Census team: Madam my case is pending in Lahore High Court, can you please help me in dealing with that, my lawyer doesn't follow what I say.
Me: Jee. Take my number and call me later.
End of conversation."
I'd rather be the 'other'
Nosheen Ali
"Mardamshumari [census] tales
Aap ki madri zaban - Urdu [Your mother tongue - Urdu]
Proceeds to check “1”.
Nahin, Gujrati [No, Gujrati]
Hain?! Aap ke aas paas bhi sab ne Urdu hi likhwai hai [Really? Everyone in your neighbourhood said Urdu]
Nahin, Gujrati [No, Gujrati]
Lekin aap ghar main kia bolti hain? [But, what do you speak in your home?]
I don’t say: Urdu-hegemonic state was intolerant towards other languages and there was little support so my parents switched rather unsuccessfully and I learnt some combination.
Aap Gujrati likhain [Write down Gujrati]
Acchaa..yahan ‘Deegar’ par tick lagana hoga? [Alright, we’ll have to tick ‘other’]
Ji [Yes]
Proceeds to cancel Urdu and checks “Other”.
#countalllanguages #ifyoudontcountthem #idratherbeother."
https://www.dawn.com/news/1325757/has-the-census-team-visited-you-heres-what-to-expect
Social media is abuzz with users' population census tales, reservations and observations.
The population census of Pakistan is currently underway, and citizens cannot help but tweet and post about their experiences.
The census will divulge important information on the demographics of Pakistan, so officials ask a variety of questions so data collectors can measure migration, employment trends, urbanisation, gender configuration, education rates and more since the last census was held in 1998.
Tell us about your interaction with the census team by writing tofeatures@dawn.com
Here are some #CensusStories:
Raiding the streets
George Fulton
"I thought I was being raided this morning as I opened the door to two soldiers in full camouflage uniform, webbing and holding machine guns. Only for a little, old lady to emerge from behind them to ask for my name and NIC number. Census is in action!"
Army and enumerators enter the narrowest of lanes to take details for the census - Photo credit: AFP
Provision for disabled persons
Armana Shah
"The census team [just came] again to fill the form and they entered my son's name as a normal person who is a special person (physically disabled). I asked them to enter him as a physically disabled person but the woman said she has no separate column for disabled persons. I said yes I know you are using 20 year old forms, but the Supreme Court has ordered to enter disable persons separately in the form. Again, she refused and said she is told by the seniors to enter only for transgender. But, I insisted to enter his name as a physically disabled person and then she called her senior who told her to write in the gender column.
No 3 for Transgenders
No 4 for Physically disabled man
No 5 for Physically disabled woman
Kindly tell your friends and families if they have a disabled person ask the census team to enter them as a disabled person not a normal person. So that in future hopefully they could get some facilities from the government.
Thank you."
Back to the future
Syed Shahzaman Shah
"Are we in 2017, or am I confused? Argument between these two is going on about pen or pencil, which is nonsense I think. With 3G/4G available in most places in Pakistan can't we do census by giving tablet/mobile devices to enumerators and have real-time transparent demographic updates. Does anyone know how it is done in developed countries?"
Head of the house
Nighat Dad
"Census team: Please call head of the house.
Me: I am head of the house.
Census team: No we meant, 'send a man, your husband? Or father or brother.
Me: Umm I am head of the house.
Census team: Ugh acha...how do you run the house?
Me: I am a lawyer and have my own organisation.
Census team: Lawyer of High Court?
Me: Yes.
Census team: Madam my case is pending in Lahore High Court, can you please help me in dealing with that, my lawyer doesn't follow what I say.
Me: Jee. Take my number and call me later.
End of conversation."
I'd rather be the 'other'
Nosheen Ali
"Mardamshumari [census] tales
Aap ki madri zaban - Urdu [Your mother tongue - Urdu]
Proceeds to check “1”.
Nahin, Gujrati [No, Gujrati]
Hain?! Aap ke aas paas bhi sab ne Urdu hi likhwai hai [Really? Everyone in your neighbourhood said Urdu]
Nahin, Gujrati [No, Gujrati]
Lekin aap ghar main kia bolti hain? [But, what do you speak in your home?]
I don’t say: Urdu-hegemonic state was intolerant towards other languages and there was little support so my parents switched rather unsuccessfully and I learnt some combination.
Aap Gujrati likhain [Write down Gujrati]
Acchaa..yahan ‘Deegar’ par tick lagana hoga? [Alright, we’ll have to tick ‘other’]
Ji [Yes]
Proceeds to cancel Urdu and checks “Other”.
#countalllanguages #ifyoudontcountthem #idratherbeother."
https://www.dawn.com/news/1325757/has-the-census-team-visited-you-heres-what-to-expect
When census officials came to my home, they didn’t know what Parsi was
LYNETTE VICCAJI
A policeman, an army ranger and a government schoolteacher come to the home of a Parsi married to a Christian. If you think that sounds like the beginning of a joke, you are partially right.
My driver informed me that the census team had arrived. It was a dry, gusty day, and the three looked rather the worse for wear. I invited them to come in and sit down, but they bravely refused, saying that this would take just a few minutes. Famous last words.
So we stood in my gateway, amid little dunes of piled-up sand. Balancing his register on one arm, the schoolteacher held his pen poised over the page.
“Names?” he asked.
“Here we go again,” I thought. Our names have been mangled so many times by Pakistani officialdom, that I have lost count of the variations. To spare him and ourselves this misery, I offered to write them in for him. He wouldn’t have it. He was writing in Urdu, so this would be a matter of phonetics.
I carefully enunciated each name, watching as the man exercised all his ingenuity to translate the alien sounds into letters.
Then the inevitable question, “Are you Pakistani?”
Yes, I assured him, we are all Pakistani.
He asked me if we had moved to Karachi from another country.
I told him that we haven’t.
“Well, my husband came from India with his parents when he was a child, but he is now very much a Pakistani, and the rest of us were all born here.”
“Yes, our first language is English. Yes, we are Pakistani, but our first language is English – look, I’m talking to you in Urdu right now, aren’t I?”
Ages, marital status, education and employment all went smoothly. Then came religion. The pen hovered over my husband’s name.
“Parsi,” I said. Blank stares.
“Zoroastrian,” I said. More blank looks.
“It’s a religion,” I assured them.
Three heads crowded together as they searched the alternatives in the form: Muslim, Hindu, Christian, Ahmedi, and Scheduled Castes. No Parsis. Consternation. The policeman came to the rescue. “Other!” he said triumphantly, pointing to the last alternative. Sighs of relief all around. So they chose ‘other’.
With my beautiful family at our home. – Photo: author
As they were about to put me into this category as well, I delivered another bombshell. “I’m a Christian.” Well, at least that had a category to itself, but I still received incredulous looks. Before they could ask again, I reassured them that we were Pakistani. They needed my NIC number, so I produced my card, which must have gone some way to reassuring them of my citizenship.
However, true to my profession, I couldn’t let go of this teachable moment. “You must have heard of Parsis,” I said.
“There are very few of them left now, but they were and are an important part of this city. Jehangir Kothari Parade?” They had never heard of it.
“Avari? Avari hotels?” I asked in desperation. Finally, familiarity flickered in their eyes when I told them Mr Avari is a Parsi.
Then I delivered the coup de grace: “Haven’t you heard of the Quaid-i-Azam’s wife? Ruttie Jinnah? She was a Parsi.”
They laughed and looked at each other in amazement. They clearly hadn’t heard of this part of history.
“Today we have increased our knowledge!” Grinning good-naturedly, they thanked me.
As they were leaving, I gave them a bottle of cold water to toast their enlightenment.
How is your life in Pakistan as a minority? Share your thoughts with us atblog@dawn.com
Pretty certain it's the same in India as well, save for the bigger metros, in the western states.
Kabira
BANNED
- Joined
- Jul 12, 2014
- Messages
- 14,383
- Reaction score
- -20
- Country
- Location
First phase of census remains largely smooth
ISLAMABAD: The month-long first phase of the grand national population census was remarkably smooth without any disruption barring a gory incident in which the census team was attacked, killing four army men and three others in Lahore on April 5.
This was a terrorist strike to achieve the nefarious objectives than impeding the census.
The army men accompanying the team were the target. Despite this episode, there was no change in the census schedule.
Although the exercise was spread in 63 districts of Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Balochistan, Azad Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan, no other incident took place anywhere to inhibit the process, which, it had been decided at the highest level, would be carried out come what may.
To begin with, no complaints emerged from any political or public quarter about the census.
The presence of the soldiers with the enumerators belonging to different civilian departments ensured complete law and order as well as transparency.
The second phase will begin on April 25 to continue for one month. The same paraphernalia will remain in place for this stage.
The census became possible only due to the security cover provided by the Pakistan Army.
Chief of Army Staff Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa has put his full weight behind hassle-free holding of the process. He has repeatedly said that provision of assistance was the national duty.
Nearly 200,000 military personnel were engaged in the exercise.
However, despite sparing of such a large number of army men for the census made no difference on the all-encompassing nationwide anti-terrorism campaign. Rather, the new military operation Raddul Fasaad in which the counter-terrorism departments, intelligence agencies and police are also tremendously contributing is going on in Punjab and other areas of Pakistan at a fast pace.
In fact, the majority province has been covered for the first time in such a campaign.
Two key political parties made an inane bid to obstruct an otherwise direly needed national exercise.
The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) filed separate petitions in superior courts, expressing reservations about the census, which is already nine years behind schedule in violation of the Constitution.
The present sixth census was due in 2008 after mandatory ten years. It might had been further delayed had the Supreme Court not pushed the government hard to hold it.
Neither the PPP government had picked up the courage to organize it nor had the MQM ever raised its conduct when it was all-powerful during Pervez Musharraf’s regime.
The Nawaz Sharif government was decisively determined to carry out the census when it decided more than a year back to the effect, but now efforts were made by these two parties to hamper it. However, no state institution is in a mood to let any hiccup come in the way to prevent it.
The PPP challenged the procedures put in place for the census in the Sindh High Court and sought disclosure of all data collected during it, claiming that irregularities are being committed.
The petition submitted to the top court by MQM Pakistan has alleged rigging in the census procedure.
There are severe anomalies in the pre-census process of blocks count, it asserted. “As part of pre-census rigging, the blocks of urban populace have been decreased.
These blocks were counted as 47.65pc during the last census but for the present exercise, they have been reduced to 45pc.
Sindh’s urban population must have increased during the past 18 years due to urbanization, but the government has reduced the number of blocks.”
When the present government had decided to hold the census, it had taken all the stakeholders on board.
The decision had been made in a meeting of the Council of Common Interests (CII), which had been attended by all the provincial chief ministers.
That was the forum where all details were needed to be sorted out to avoid the subsequent grumbling.
Attempts that have failed have been made to create doubts about this supreme exercise in the absence of which proper policy planning is impossible.
After the conclusion of the second phase, true picture will emerge about a multitude of factors about Pakistan’s population, which will help the policy makers and financial and development managers to chalk out appropriate strategies.
There may be some changes in the number of National Assembly seats for different provinces.
In case of such eventuality, there will be no need to make a constitutional amendment to increase or reduce the seats of one province or the other on the basis of the census.
An ordinary notification will suffice.
https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/198910-First-phase-of-census-remains-largely-smooth
ISLAMABAD: The month-long first phase of the grand national population census was remarkably smooth without any disruption barring a gory incident in which the census team was attacked, killing four army men and three others in Lahore on April 5.
This was a terrorist strike to achieve the nefarious objectives than impeding the census.
The army men accompanying the team were the target. Despite this episode, there was no change in the census schedule.
Although the exercise was spread in 63 districts of Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Balochistan, Azad Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan, no other incident took place anywhere to inhibit the process, which, it had been decided at the highest level, would be carried out come what may.
To begin with, no complaints emerged from any political or public quarter about the census.
The presence of the soldiers with the enumerators belonging to different civilian departments ensured complete law and order as well as transparency.
The second phase will begin on April 25 to continue for one month. The same paraphernalia will remain in place for this stage.
The census became possible only due to the security cover provided by the Pakistan Army.
Chief of Army Staff Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa has put his full weight behind hassle-free holding of the process. He has repeatedly said that provision of assistance was the national duty.
Nearly 200,000 military personnel were engaged in the exercise.
However, despite sparing of such a large number of army men for the census made no difference on the all-encompassing nationwide anti-terrorism campaign. Rather, the new military operation Raddul Fasaad in which the counter-terrorism departments, intelligence agencies and police are also tremendously contributing is going on in Punjab and other areas of Pakistan at a fast pace.
In fact, the majority province has been covered for the first time in such a campaign.
Two key political parties made an inane bid to obstruct an otherwise direly needed national exercise.
The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) filed separate petitions in superior courts, expressing reservations about the census, which is already nine years behind schedule in violation of the Constitution.
The present sixth census was due in 2008 after mandatory ten years. It might had been further delayed had the Supreme Court not pushed the government hard to hold it.
Neither the PPP government had picked up the courage to organize it nor had the MQM ever raised its conduct when it was all-powerful during Pervez Musharraf’s regime.
The Nawaz Sharif government was decisively determined to carry out the census when it decided more than a year back to the effect, but now efforts were made by these two parties to hamper it. However, no state institution is in a mood to let any hiccup come in the way to prevent it.
The PPP challenged the procedures put in place for the census in the Sindh High Court and sought disclosure of all data collected during it, claiming that irregularities are being committed.
The petition submitted to the top court by MQM Pakistan has alleged rigging in the census procedure.
There are severe anomalies in the pre-census process of blocks count, it asserted. “As part of pre-census rigging, the blocks of urban populace have been decreased.
These blocks were counted as 47.65pc during the last census but for the present exercise, they have been reduced to 45pc.
Sindh’s urban population must have increased during the past 18 years due to urbanization, but the government has reduced the number of blocks.”
When the present government had decided to hold the census, it had taken all the stakeholders on board.
The decision had been made in a meeting of the Council of Common Interests (CII), which had been attended by all the provincial chief ministers.
That was the forum where all details were needed to be sorted out to avoid the subsequent grumbling.
Attempts that have failed have been made to create doubts about this supreme exercise in the absence of which proper policy planning is impossible.
After the conclusion of the second phase, true picture will emerge about a multitude of factors about Pakistan’s population, which will help the policy makers and financial and development managers to chalk out appropriate strategies.
There may be some changes in the number of National Assembly seats for different provinces.
In case of such eventuality, there will be no need to make a constitutional amendment to increase or reduce the seats of one province or the other on the basis of the census.
An ordinary notification will suffice.
https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/198910-First-phase-of-census-remains-largely-smooth
Similar threads
