Balochistan census results challenged

Plea requests SC to appoint commission to examine accuracy of data provided by PBS

ISLAMABAD:

A petition was submitted to the Supreme Court on Monday contesting the decision made in the August 5 Council of Common Interests (CCI) meeting regarding the approval of the 2023 digital census results in relation to Balochistan.

The petitioner, after witnessing the “violation of fundamental rights of the people of Balochistan” in the 2023 Census, felt compelled to approach the top court to seek protection for these rights, according to the plea.

The petitioner requested that the SC appoint an impartial commission to examine and ensure the accuracy, transparency, and fairness of the data provided by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS), and independently verify it through the National Telecommunication Corporation (NTC) Data Centres.

The petitioner, who according to the plea, is the son of a senator from JUI-F, comes from a family of lawyers, with his father being a senior advocate of the Supreme Court and a member of the Senate. His mother has also served in the National Assembly.

The family has actively advocated for the rights of the people of Balochistan in legal and legislative forums across the country, it added.

According to the petition, the population of Balochistan was reported to be around 21.7 million in various updates during the census process. However, in the final report approved by the concerned authority, the population of Balochistan was reduced to 14.89 million.

It stated that the respondents allegedly manipulated the results after the enumeration process, excluding approximately seven million individuals from the official records.

The petitioner expressed concerns that this manipulation could potentially impact the allocation of financial resources through the National Finance Commission (NFC) as well as the representation of Balochistan in the National Assembly and the provincial assembly.

The denial of equal allocation of resources and political representation on such a large scale is deemed to be a violation of Articles 25 and 27 of the Constitution, the petition added.