KARACHI: Amidst unresolved controversies regarding the ongoing seventh census, particularly enumeration of Karachi, Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) Sindh Director Manoor Ali Ghangroo shared the latest data on Sunday.
According to the latest figures, the population of the metropolis has increased from 1.4 million to over 17.4 million, Ghangru said. Moreover, the population of Sindh has increased by 6.46 million to 54.31 million.
The latest figures come a day after PBS briefed representatives of political parties on the ongoing census, which is being conducted digitally for the first time.
Earlier, it was reported that some of the preliminary results of the ongoing digital population census had revealed serious “abnormal results”, especially in Balochistan and Sindh.
In Balochistan, the population growth was observed to increase by 7.8 percent and preliminary assessment showed that some divisions like Panjgur, Makran, Rukhshan, and others have higher than normal population growth.
Karachi, the country’s largest city, saw a mere 0.4 percent increase in population, while rural Sindh saw a phenomenal increase of nearly 9 percent. Similarly, preliminary results suggest that the population of Karachi and Lahore were close to each other in the range of about 16 million.
Several political parties including Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Muttahida Qaumi Movement Pakistan (MQM-P) have raised objections to the census, particularly But in some areas overcounting and undercounting.
The MQM-P – a key ally of the ruling coalition at the Center – had reportedly asked its MPs to resign over the census issue. After that, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif directed Planning and Development Minister Ahsan Iqbal to remove the objections.
A committee was also formed to look into the issues.
On Thursday, PBS officials briefed political leaders on the ongoing census process and the data collected so far.
Speaking to the media after the briefing, Planning and Development Minister Ahsan Iqbal said his ministry wants to ensure the census is conducted in a manner that is “acceptable to all”.
“Enumeration in urban areas has been slow,” he admitted. Similarly, remote areas could not be counted. Some areas saw an extraordinary increase in population.
The minister said that it has been decided to speed up the counting process.
Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Karachi Amir Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman, who addressed the media alongside Iqbal, said he had conveyed his concerns to PBS.
Half of the population of Karachi was not counted. We have asked [PBS] to identify where the population is under- or over-counted. PBS is conducting the ongoing census digitally for the first time in the country’s history, the field operations of the census will begin seamlessly from March 1.
However, it has extended the deadline for completing the census work. Most recently, it extended the date for the fifth time to May 15.
