JI questions census results, blames PPP and MQM-P for ‘undercounted’ Karachi

Karachi Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) emir Hafiz Naeemur Rehman highlighted the differences between the data available with the K-Electric, the Sui Southern Gas Company and the National Database Registration Authority and the 2023 digital census results approved by the Council of Common Interests (CCI).

Addressing a press conference at Idara Noor-e-Haq, the JI headquarters in Karachi, on Thursday, he said spoke of the alleged role of the Pakistan Peoples Party and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan “in twisting” the process of the digital census to acquire the results they wanted.

Detailing his own estimate of 35 million individuals in Karachi, Rehman said that according to the statistics issued by the K-Electric, there are 3.7 million domestic meters in the city, whereas according to the 2023 census results — that undermines the actual statistics — average household in the city consists of six members.

“Nothing is left for imagination as it totals 22.2 million people. Now add the hundreds of thousands of buildings in congested areas of Karachi where multistorey buildings house several families, sharing electricity connections and bills,” he said, adding that an entire network of the illegal connection system to supply electricity in slums and neighborhoods also prevailed in this city. To be on the safe side, this scenario increases the average consumers per electricity meter to 10, he added.

The JI leader said simple maths can show that the population of Karachi will be around 37 million people. He suggested taking meters of natural gas in the mega city. As compared to electricity meters, the number of gas meters is very low in the city and it is a trend even in the settled areas of the city that an entire building, housing several families, use a single gas connection and meter, he said, quoting conservative estimates that one gas meter in the city caters to around 16 people. In this way, the data suggested that the population of Karachi should be 36.8 million, he said.

The JI leader highlighted the data of the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra), showing that 19.1 million people are living in Karachi, having permanent addresses in the city on their documents. He asked if only 1.2 million people are living in Karachi from other areas of the country as showing the census results.

He further said that Karachi has become the largest city of Pashtu-speaking people, and it is also the city housing the largest number of Saraiki, Urdu, Kashmiri, Sindhi, Baloch, Punjabi and Hindko speakers. Against this backdrop, the truth behind the statistics shown by the 2023 census is crystal clear, he argued.

Rehman alleged that the MQM stabbed Karachi and Karachiites by joining heads and hands with the PPP “for the sake of some monetary gains and perks”.

Further talking about the background, he said that in 2017 the population of Karachi was marked as 16 million and the population of Sindh was recorded at 47.8 million.

Had the authorities counted the actual population of Karachi at that time, it would have been around 30 million, translating into around 33 seats of the National Assembly and some 65 seats of the provincial assembly for the city, he said.

Unfortunately, he claimed, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and the MQM both put their weight behind having notified the visibly flawed census on the pretext of paving the way for the next census. Similarly, he added, the PPP limited itself to a dissenting note after playing an active role in underreporting the population of Karachi

As a result of notifying the flawed census, the so-called political forces provided a baseline reference to exploit the rights of Karachi and Karachiites, he said.

The MQM has been celebrating the statistics as a victory, but as a matter of fact and keeping in view the previous growth rate, this flawed census has dented the interests of Karachi, he said.

In fact, he maintained, the MQM did a disservice to Karachi and Karachiites, he said, adding that just a few times ago, the MQM was claiming that it would not accept the census results if the number of Karachiites were showed less than 30 million but now it was celebrating the population of 20.3 million.

Talking about the upcoming caretaker setup, he said the PDM government made the affairs of the state from bad to worse, the rulers kept focus on their perks and luxuries and the regime did nothing but to take advantage of the situation for their own gains. He feared that the caretakers would be the continuation of the outgoing regime.