MQM-P seeks extension in time allocated for census

Kamal says doctoring headcount to have drastic consequences

KARACHI:

The Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) has objected to the time allotted for carrying out the census while calling for extending the time specified for the three phases of self-enumeration, house enumeration and census.

The party has written to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) regarding the issue, with MQM-P Senior Convenor Mustafa Kamal also raising concerns about the exercise during a press conference at the party's temporary headquarters in Bahadurabad on Monday.

According to the letter sent by chief statistician of the PBS, the March 3 deadline for self-enumeration should be extended by at least 10 days since. It cited the lack of access to smartphones for citizens of Karachi and Hyderabad, lack of knowledge of the application, and problems with internet connectivity as the reason for seeking extension.

MQM-P's letter added that it was impossible to complete the house-count within the stipulated time of three day in densely populated areas. Therefore, the duration of the second phase should be extended by 10 days as well.

The MQM-P said registration might not take place as expected for the third phase of the census, which starts on March 4, due to Ramazan which starts from March 23 or 24.

In light of these problems, MQM-P requests that the timeline for the three census phases be extended in order to include every family and every person of the nation.

Karachi the answer

Mustafa Kamal said that was Karachi, and not the International Monetary Fund (IMF) or the World Bank, that could get Pakistan out of the economic crisis that has seen runaway inflation and currency volatility.

"Pakistan's economic devastation proves that the country cannot afford further experiments," Kamal said while also warning against 'doctoring' census results.

"Any sort of discrimination against the people of Karachi and Hyderabad during the census will lead to feelings of alienation and the urban population will get disgruntled," he said.

The MQM-P had contested the results of the last election and were among the parties that lobbied for a census before the usual interval of 10 years. Pakistan's last census took place 2018, which put Karachi's population around 16 million. MQM-P had contended that Karachi's population was grossly undercounted.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, February 28^th, 2023.