PBS had refused to provide details about residents of Osama’s house

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) had even refused to share details with Abbottabad Commission in the aftermath of assassination of Osama Ben Laden (OBL) by citing law of the land under which it's their obligation to maintain secrecy of data collected through house listing and population census exercise.

When US conducted operation against OBL in 2011 and afterwards the then government had formed Abbottabad Commission to probe this matter in details. During its investigation, it was found that the house where OBL resided for several years was included in the house listing exercise carried out by the last unsuccessful census exercise in 2011. The Abbottabad Commission had witnessed that the Census enumerators had included the residential building of OBL in their house listing exercise.

So the Abbottabad Commission led by Justice (R) Javed Iqbal had summoned PBS high-ups and inquired about the collected details of residents of the house where OBL resided before raiding by US forces on in 2011. “The PBS showed the Commission that under the law they cannot share specific information collected through census exercise with anyone so they did not share information to ensure secrecy of data,” added the top official of PBS while talking to The News. 

When Chief Census Commissioner Asif Bajwa was asked about secrecy of data collected for population census exercise during his interview with The News on Thursday afternoon, he confirmed that the PBS could not share information with anyone including Nadra or someone else. In the past, he said the PBS had never compromised its confidentiality clause mandated under the law and in the upcoming census this clause would be adhered at all costs.

Under the General Statistics (Re-organisation) Act 2011 approved by the Parliament, the PBS is mandated to ensure secrecy of answers, information and returns collected in census exercise. 

It states that all answers to the questions received and all information and returns furnished under this Act shall be confidential and shall not be, (a) used for any purpose other than compilation of statistics under this Act; (b) published in a form which may disclose the state of affairs of any particular individual, firm or institution; (c) divulged or furnishing the information or return, to any person not connected officially with the enquiry in relation to which the said answers, information or returns have been called for; (d) accessible to the inspection of any person; or (e) disclosed to any person, or used, notwithstanding anything contained in the Qanun-e-Shahadat, 1984 (PO 10 of 1984), be admissible in evidence in any proceedings to which the person giving the answer of furnishing the information or return is a party, except for the purpose of prosecution for contravention of the provisions of this Act.

Under this act, notwithstanding the provisions of sub-section (1), unit records may be released provided no individual or company can be identified and shall be used for genuine research purposes and such research findings thereafter shall acknowledge and made available to the Statistical Authority.

Under section 29 of this Act, the permitted disclosure is allowed as the disclosure of information is authorised to be used if such information has been made public through any authorized means or prior written consent of the person answering the questions has been duly obtained.