ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Planning and Development in Pakistan has submitted a summary to convene a Council of Common Interests (CCI) meeting. The purpose of the meeting is to seek approval for the country’s first-ever digital Population and Housing Census. The Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) conducted the census earlier this year. Its results have been forwarded to the CCI for consideration.
The government intends CCI meeting before the tenure ends. It aims to send an official summary for approval of the digital census. At the CCI forum, potential outcomes include approval of census results or rejection due to identified flaws. Additionally, a committee may be formed to address disputes.
Approval of the census results may have implications for delaying the next general elections due to the delimitation exercise. Constitutional amendments require a two-thirds majority for approval, which raises questions about the government’s plan in case of a delay in the elections.
The latest census results show Pakistan’s population is around 240 million. It has some interesting and controversial findings, especially in Balochistan and Sindh provinces. There were complaints of overcounting in rural Sindh and undercounting in urban parts, particularly Karachi.
The post-enumeration survey was conducted to verify the results in selected blocks. However, its outcome is yet to be determined, leading to the possibility of ongoing controversy.
Minister for Planning, Ahsan Iqbal, mentioned that the CCI would have to decide whether to hold elections based on the new census or the previous one. In 2017, the Parliament approved a constitutional amendment for delimitation based on provisional census results. However, approaching the Supreme Court could create a challenging situation, as the court had directed to use the new data for the next elections.
