Second phase of census begins amid tight security in FATA

Mohmand Agency political agent says 2,000 security officials, including khasadars and levies deployed for exercise

SHABQADAR: The second phase of the ongoing national census began in six agencies of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) and six Frontier Regions (FR) on Tuesday amid tight security.

The government has divided the exercise into two phases – the first phase will be held from April 25 to May 10 and second from May 10 to May 25.

Speaking to The Express Tribune about the census in Mohmand Agency, Political Agent (PA) Mehmood Aslam Wazir said the agency has been divided into 409 blocks and 206 teams consisting of officials from Frontier Corps, political administration and the education department will go door to door collecting data.

According to Wazir, the political administration met with a local jirga on Monday and urged tribal elders to help the census teams during the exercise.

He added tight security arrangements had been made and 2,000 security officials, including 700 khasadars, levies and other paramilitary forces had been deployed across the agency.



“Aside from that, one immediate response team and two quick response teams have been arranged in every tehsil to deal with any emergency if it arises,” he said.

Security teams remained on high alert on Tuesday and checked all private vehicles at all entry and exit points.

In Bajaur Agency, 413 teams and a supervisory staff of 93 people will collect data from residents. According to the agency’s political administration, fool proof security arrangements have been made and check posts have been established on all entry and exit points.

The migrants of Mohmand

Mohmand PA Wazir said that although there were no registered IDPs from Mohmand, the political administration will, however, facilitate families with permanent residence in Mohmand that have settled in other parts of the country but not registered there in getting themselves counted in the census in Mohmand.

“But, someone who has been living outside Mohmand for more than six months and has registered themselves there will not be added in Mohmand, under the census’s policy,” he clarified.

However, Awami National Party Mohmand chapter’s president Nisar Mohmand expressed reservations over the census in the agency based on the 1998 population counts.

He said a large number of people from the agency have been living elsewhere for the past several years, while many lower Mohmand tribesmen had registered themselves in Charsadda and Peshawar in the first phase.



This, he said, would show a decrease in the agency’s population once the results come in.

Senator Hilal Rehman, the chairman of the Senate committee for SAFRON, had also earlier expressed his reservation about the government’s decision to only include registered IDPs in the census.

In a committee meeting, Rehman had pointed out that a large number of Mohmand tribesmen had migrated elsewhere due to the deteriorating law and order especially in Safi and Bazai tehsils, but will come back home at some point.

It remains unclear how they would be included in the census since they are not in Mohmand at the moment and they aren’t even registered IDPs.

Like Nisar Mohmand, Rehman also contended that census in this condition will show a decreased population for Mohmand which is not the case.

But the political agent of Mohmand said he had appealed to residents and he is hopeful that tribesmen will come home to register because as per the census policy all houses will be counted whether the owners lives in them or lives elsewhere.