PHC orders govt to include separate column for Kalash community in census

Order comes during hearing of writ petition filed by members of the Kalash community

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Tuesday directed Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) to include a separate column in the national census form for people belonging to the Kalash community.

A two-judge bench comprising of Justice Yahya Afridi and Justice Ikramullah announced the order while hearing a writ petition filed by members of the Kalash community on March 21. The government was represented in court by the deputy attorney general.

The petitioners had requested the court for the inclusion of the Kalash tribe in the census form as a separate entity with a distinct language, religion and culture.

“It’s a victory for the dwindling community,” Luke Rehmat, one of the petitioners, told The Express Tribune while hailing the decision.



The Kalash is the country’s smallest religious minority. They number only around 4,000.

Pakistan is holding its first census in 19 years. Besides other important information, the census will also provide an insight into the true number of religious minorities, including Christians and Hindus. Citizens can declare themselves Muslim, Christian or Hindu etc. Otherwise, they can be “members of scheduled castes” – members of marginalised Hindu families, or “other”. There are no separate options for Sikhs, Parsis or Baha’i.