Questions over census
It appears increasingly likely that the new census will prove just as controversial as the 2017 process, which led to the early headcount this year. Islamabad and Karachi are openly arguing over the data and collection methods, with the PPP-led Sindh government now questioning the federal government’s decision to allegedly stop precision counting in areas with ‘normal’ population growth trends and only focus on verification in unusual growth areas. While there may be valid reasons to do so, because even though miscounts or data fudging are possibilities, population spikes are a common occurrence and can take place due to a variety of good and bad reasons. Meanwhile, just because partial data shows ‘normal’ growth trends does not mean that the entire area will follow the same trend. A census is supposed to be a precision exercise, even a 1% rounding error nationwide is equivalent to more than the population of Islamabad.
The solution adopted by the federal government is clearly too blunt to address either the PPP, or the opposition PTI’s concerns. At the same time, the process has already been extended due to enumeration work not being completed in a timely manner. Whether this is due to poor performance on the part of enumerators or lack of cooperation from citizens, counting can’t just go on forever. But it is not just the PPP complaining. Almost every party with a presence in urban Sindh, including the MQM-P, PTI and JI, have noted that Karachi especially appears to have been severely undercounted, like in 2017 too. Interim census data suggests that with the counting almost complete, the city’s population is only around 16 million. Although that is already significantly higher than last time, it is well off the MQM-P’s claim of 35 million — higher than the populations of Saudi Arabia or Malaysia.
We deserve to know the actual numbers, not just because of their significance in elections. Funding allocations and development priorities are all population-based, and any miscount would deprive deserving citizens of their due rights.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 3rd, 2023.
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