Census: Pakhtun groups to start campaign

PakhtunKhwa Milli Awami Party will conduct a door-to-door awareness campaign among the Pakhtun on the census.

KARACHI:

The PakhtunKhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) along with other political and social organisations will conduct a door-to-door awareness campaign among the Pakhtun of Karachi on the census.

Leaders of Pakhtun organisations addressed a seminar, organised by PkMAP, at its provincial secretariat Bacha Khan on Friday.

Addressing the participants, PkMAP general secretary Akram Shah said, “The census is the base of economic, social and political life. Voter lists and constituencies are produced from the data collected from the census. But most of us do not participate because we are unaware of its importance.”

Shah said that five million Pakhtun live in the city but they do not have documentary proof of this fact. “This is why they are not given their rights.”

A joint committee of workers from all Pakhtun parties will distribute handbills from April 5 to April 10 and visit people’s houses, asking them to cooperate with the government census team.

President of the Punjabi Pakhtun Ittehad, Irfanullah Khan Marwat, said that keeping Karachi’s Pakhtun population in mind, there should be 10 seats for them in the provincial assembly and five seats in the National Assembly from Karachi. “But this is only possible if we have our names registered and on the voter lists.”

Published in The Express Tribune, April 2^nd,  2011.