Pakistan

Population Census 2011: Army excuses itself from census

Security personnel will respond to distress calls by census-takers in sensitive areas.

Zahid Gishkori March 23, 2011

ISLAMABAD:

The Pakistan Army has refused to participate in the sixth population census, due to its engagement in the war against terrorism in tribal areas and Balochistan, said a senior official of the Population Census Organisation (PCO).

“Army personnel will only respond to distress calls of enumerators in case they face resistance in sensitive areas of the state,” said the official.

The Statistics Division of Pakistan had officially requested for some 0.2 million soldiers, including officers, for 15 days, to provide security cover to the field staff as well as for the collection of questionnaires.

PCO officials believe the support of the uniformed personnel would allow the enumerators to work without security concerns and complete their work in the stipulated time.

Secretary Statistics Division Asif Bajwa said the Pakistan Army, Rangers, Frontier Constabulary, Levies and other paramilitary forces have guaranteed to offer support to the survey teams.

He ruled out any resistance from miscreants in volatile areas of the country, especially in Balochistan, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) and tribal areas. “When I visited Balochistan this week, people said they would extend their full cooperation to the census crew,” he added.

The main census operations, i.e. the head-counting, will start on October 6 while the preparation for it, including the retrieval of summary sheets and house listing material, will be completed between April 25 and May 16.

A total of 146,270 census-takers, comprising mostly teachers, will conduct the exercise in 424 districts in rural and urban areas of the country.

Census-takers and associated workers will be supervised by 3,626 district census officers and tehsildars in the first stage of the population census while some 22,408 circle supervisors will collect details of houses to conduct a detailed survey of urban and rural areas.

Three forms will be distributed during Census 2011, whereby form 1 will be used for house-listing, form 2 for the main census operations while form 2A is a detailed questionnaire that will be distributed to a sample population.

The census will take into account demographic, social and economic characteristics including information about literacy, standard of living, access to information and communication etc. The estimated cost of the entire exercise is Rs5 billion.

According to the 1998, census Pakistan’s population was around 132 million while PCO estimates that the population has risen above 175 million at present.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 23^rd, 2011.

COMMENTS (8)

Agnostic Muslim | 13 years ago | Reply @Raj: "It baffles me as to why even bother with census?" Because Pakistan is a multi-ethnic nation and accurate resource distribution and divisions of legislative seats between the various provinces (states) depends upon an accurate census. Population growth rates are different for the different ethnic groups in different provinces. The last census indicated that the population growth rates of the ethnic Baluch and Pashtun communities were significantly higher than those of the Punjabi and Sindhi ethnic groups. The Baluch and Pashtun majority provinces are also the least developed of the provinces in Pakistan, and they would certainly want a greater share in resources and legislative seats if the increase in their population size justified it.

Raj | 13 years ago | Reply It baffles me as to why even bother with census? perhaps there is some aid program from donar nations which might just get activated with the results!! When the govt can not take care of basic needs in any fashion or manner of its people then why waste time and money to do census!!! Perhaps to let everyone know the increase in size of the population who will endure same misery.

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ba ha | 13 years ago | Reply Army did a survey under Nawaz shareef and never rfeleased the results

Agnostic Muslim | 13 years ago | Reply Glad it has excused itself, though personally I think their participation would have enhanced that accuracy and efficiency of the census, bu then the 'Army haters' and 'ethnicity card' players would have bashed the census for being manipulated by the 'Punjabi Army'. To use one of Kamran Shafi's favorite and overused phrases - the Army does not have to call the elected government 'bloody civilians', the politicians (especially Zardari and the PPP and PML-N) are doing a pathetic enough job at governance and propagating ethnic hatred to justify that 'bloody civilian' title all by themselves. I am not suggesting the Army does better at governance, but it certainly is doing much better at its actual job without involving itself in governance, and hopefully Pakistanis will hold the current lot of incompetent politicians from ALL parties accountable in the next elections, show up to vote in droves, and kick the lot of them out for fresh faces.

Ali | 13 years ago | Reply @Hammad Siddiqui: The reason why the army is being asked to conduct the census is because they are pretty much the only functioning segment of the state. Law and order in the country is at disgraceful, the census conductors were very wise to ask for the army to help.

Raj | 13 years ago | Reply Is there anything in this country that the Amry can not excuse itself from doing? I am sure if it decided another Kargil adventure, Islamabad will be informed by foreign media!!! This shows the clout of this institution, and one assumes its personal are not to classed as population of pakistan, but of GHQ!!!! lol

Abdul Ali | 13 years ago | Reply I personally feel the decision of army is correct. Army is over stretched with addressing the local security issues in FATA etc. Army played a wonderful role during recent devastating floods. Where are the other government staff.Why not use teachers as an example.This will not only be efficient but also will give teachers an opportunity of interacting with parents. Why not use the youth who are under-employed/un-employed.Train them into survey work and compensate them.US does this . We need a survey ( a correct survey) for planning etc. Last survey took place in 1998 ie 12 years back. A lot has changed since then. Yes, army could provide security envelope in select few areas where critically needed (ideally police should provide this...what are they for)

Hammad Siddiqui | 13 years ago | Reply Surprised! Public must ask why government is asking army to do census? Impartiality or even demoratic government recognises the instituional capabilities of perhaps the only organized institution left in Pakistan!

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