Karachi undercount?

The MQM-P is now warning it will begin crippling strikes if the government continues to ignore its plea to reexamine the census figures for Karachi, which the party claims is ‘missing’ eight million people because of flaws in the last headcount. The party, for which the country’s commercial capital was once a stronghold, has also expressed dissatisfaction with the digital census that is currently under way.

Indeed, some news reports suggest that with about 90 per cent of data collection complete, Karachi’s population may have shrunk by as much 15 per cent, which makes no sense until we note that even the MQM-P admits that several densely populated areas, including high rise buildings, have not yet been counted. However, it still appears unlikely that the final number will cross 20 million, even though independent estimates put the population well over that threshold as early as 2017, noting that it has only risen since. But while some of the lesser complaints — such as the delay in counting high rises — appear to be padding since they will almost certainly be addressed in time, a few highly concerning accusations have also been thrown about. This includes ‘intentional’ undercounting, such as a family of nine allegedly being marked as a family of four.

The MQM-P also claims that the PPP, which has ruled Sindh for over 15 years, is directly involved in the alleged shenanigans because “if a fair census is held, the next chief minister of Sindh would be from urban Sindh” — a reference to the PPP’s electoral dominance of rural Sindh and relative weakness in Karachi. In fact, in 2018, although it swept Malir, the PPP won just two of the remaining 39 provincial assembly seats associated with Karachi. However, even if the problems are genuine mistakes rather than malicious acts, they are still an injustice to the people of Karachi, who have been denied their due share of government revenue and spending for decades, despite being the country’s commercial engine.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 12^th, 2023.

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