SC asks govt to give precise census date

CJP says country being run on assumptions

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court asked on Friday the federal government to provide a precise date for initiating the process of population census.

Chief Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali, heading the three-judge bench in the suo motu case on the delay in holding census, observed that the previous and incumbent governments failed to implement their constitutional obligations in this regard.



He observed that all political parties and institutions wanted to maintain status quo without even batting an eyelid. The chief justice observed that the country was being run on assumptions as authorities did not have exact population figures.  He wondered how the country could be run without knowing exact population, ratio of men and women, young and old.



Expressing displeasure, he asked whether it was written in the constitution that census should be held under army supervision, reminding that 18 years had passed since a census was held.

He observed that people excessively talked about strengthening civilian institutions, but army was called for all emergencies, adding that the army was controlling the law and order situation for the past ten years. “What are other civilian institutions, such as police, doing?”

The government in its report had stated that holding census was subject to the availability of army personnel for providing security to workers and ensuring transparency.



During the hearing, the Attorney-General informed the bench that officials concerned held meetings with the Directorate of Military Operations for sharing manpower needs. But the Directorate refused, saying that army personnel cannot be spared in such large numbers this year.

Justice Amir Hani Muslim, a member of the bench, observed that the report was supposed to be unconditional. He further observed if the authorities concerned were unable to hold census without Army’s help, the Constitution should be amended. “There are contradictions in the report.”

Justice Ijazul Ahsan, another bench member, pointed out that the report mentioned that the armed forces required three months for mobilization.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 19^th, 2016.