ISLAMABAD: Rejecting all objections raised by Sindh over provisional census figures, Federal Minister for Statistics Kamran Michael said that the government proposed amendment to the law before the Council of Common Interests (CCI) for the purpose of evolving consensus for usage of provisional summary results for delimitation exercise to allocate National Assembly and four provincial assemblies seats ahead of next general elections.
The Inter-Provincial Coordination Committee (IPCC) is scheduled to meet on September 8, 2017 after upcoming Eidul Azha where the provinces will give their feedback on the proposed amendment to the law under which the provisional summary results could be used for delimitation exercise instead of using final results in accordance with the existing law of the land. The final results of population census, the minister said, would be available in April 2018.
“The provincial governments notified urban and rural areas under their jurisdiction and Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) used these notifications. Sindh government declared two districts of Karachi as part of rural area out of total six districts. Punjab government notified 261 mauzas as part of urban Lahore and if excluded the population figure of Lahore would be reduced to around 9 million. We used 100 percent notified divisions of urban and rural areas in accordance with provincial declarations,” Kamran Michael said while briefing reporters here at Statistics Division building on Wednesday.
Flanked by Secretary Statistics Division Rukhsana Yasmin and Advisor for PBS Asif Bajwa, the minister said that the financial resources would be distributed on the basis of latest population census results and Punjab’s share would be reduced by 2.5 percent, however, CM Punjab did not raise any objections.
To a query regarding running of PBS affairs without any rules for the last seven years, the advisor PBS Asif Bajwa who had also assumed the portfolio of Chief Census Commissioner for holding the 6th population and housing census 2017, said that the rules were lying with the government but old rules were implemented to run its affairs until the new rules were in place.
However, Minister of Statistics said that the civil and armed forces had tallied figures with each other and only then the government tabled these figures before the CCI. “If anyone possessed any objections about the provisional results there is constitutional forum of CCI to raise such objections. The parliament can be another forum to debate such issues,” said the minister.
He explained that the provinces declared areas by issuing notifications related to urban and rural areas and the respective Deputy Commissioners (DCs) and Assistant Commissioners (ACs) at districts and tehsils and the census staff was also hired from the respective provinces working in areas of education, local and revenue departments.
“We possess all notification issued by provinces for distribution of areas into urban and rural,” said Asif Bajwa and added that they implemented 100 percent notifications issued by provinces to this effect.
To another query regarding surge in population figures witnessed in Balochistan and KP, Asif Bajwa said that they had not counted Afghan nationals in 1998 census but now after they have shifted to settled areas and living along side Pakistanis so the PBS counted them that justified increase in population in Balochistan and some parts of KP.
He said that two districts in Karachi-- Mangupeer and Korangi declared as part of rural areas and it was domain of the provincial government which had nothing to do with the PBS. Kamran Michael said that if any provinces possessed any objections they must raise before the CCI as it was the constitutional forum to resolve disputes among all stakeholders.
