KARACHI: Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) strongly criticizes the coalition government’s decision to conduct elections based on the outdated census.
During a press conference, MQM-P Convener Dr. Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui. Whose party is part of the government, states that Karachi’s population is approximately 30 million, whereas the 2017 census reported it to be around 14.9 million. He said that his party would not accept figures lower than the actual population count.
The MQM-P leader expreses his party’s determination to oppose this decision. The Interior Minister, Rana Sanaullah, had previously announced. The government would not recognize the recently conclude census as it was deemed unreliable. The Election Commission of Pakistan would require at least four months to complete the delimitation process.
Censuses are typically conducted every ten years, but the previous census faced controversy. As a result, a fresh census was planned to address concerns and carry out a new delimitation process. However, objections were raised by the Sindh government and MQM-P, who refused to accept the results and demanded rectification of the flaws. The MQM party members are also discussing about the coming election.
He emphasize that it was MQM-Pakistan that had supported the families of its martyrs, and he requested people not to work against the peace of the city. Dr. Siddiqui also pointed out that there had been linguistic discrimination in the constituencies, which needed to be rectified before the elections.
Furthermore, Dr. Siddiqui stated that the assemblies and the government would conclude in August. He mention that MQM-P had made every effort for the peace of Karachi, and conducting a census was one of their primary demands. He expressed concern about a few dozen individuals who were threatening the city’s peace in the name of MQM-London and called for their apprehension.
Dr. Siddiqui stressed that a few dozen people could not represent the city’s interests. Karachi was eagerly awaiting a transparent and unbiased census. He urges authorities to do justice to the urban areas of Sindh and fulfill the promises that were made.
