Sindh’s reservations over census remain unaddressed: Murad

Asad rejects objections as ‘baseless’

KARACHI:

Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has once again said that Sindh’s reservations about the faulty census of 2017 remain unaddressed by the federal government.

Speaking to media after appearing in an accountability court (AC) in Islamabad in connection with the Nooriabad Power Plant reference on Wednesday, the chief minister said that despite voicing concerns several times, the federal government has remained aloof and proceeded to issue the results.

“They are unaware of the constitution of Pakistan, the matter has to be resolved in the joint session of the parliament,” he added.

He also accused the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf-led government of sabotaging the province’s power projects and lamented that the matter has not been discussed in the parliament even after pleas.

Referring to the much-anticipated joint session of the parliament and heated political climate, Murad said the incumbent government’s days were numbered, adding that “winds blowing in Islamabad can be felt in Karachi, too”.

During today’s hearing, the court once again adjourned the hearing until December 8 due to the absence of the two co-accused in the case. The chief minister is facing charges of misusing the power in the disbursement of funds for energy-related projects in Sindh, according to the reference filed by NAB.

Sindh has repeatedly rejected the cabinet’s decision to approve the census, questioning how the census could be approved without addressing Sindh’s concerns.

Read Consensus must for home-grown issues: CM Murad

The ruling party in the province, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), has contended that contrary to the census, the Unicef survey suggests that the population of Sindh stood at 61.04m.

‘Sindh objection over 2017 Census baseless’

Meanwhile, Federal Minister for Planning and Development Asad Umar rejected the Sindh government’s objections on the census as “baseless”, stressing that the census has been approved by the Council of Common Interests (CCI).

“The Sindh is politicizing the issue by hatching conspiracies over the exercise,” he said while addressing the joint session of the parliament on Wednesday.

However, the federal minister presented a motion in the House to look into the reservations of the Sindh province over the census 2017 process.

Asad said the annulment of the 2017 census would have led to a greater loss for the Sindh province, resulting in the restoration of constituencies based on the 1998 process that would have remarkably brought down the number of their seats.

“We have two options either to dismiss the entire process or approve it and move forward for a more transparent process later,” he said.

He said that the census was conducted during the previous regime and rather than deciding on it they left the matter over to the next government.