Need for national census
Government should should trust its strength to carry out the long overdue head count.
We concede that holding a census does not merely involve pulling off a mammoth logistical feat. It also carries the risk of igniting political and social tensions PHOTO: FILE
A country without precise data on its people is like a country in denial. The census, a critical exercise to count the country’s population, fills this vacuum. It helps in setting the policy agenda, apportioning resources and distributing political and economic power. But Pakistan has not had the good luck to see this crucial exercise performed regularly according to the schedule enshrined in its statutes. Its fifth and last census, for instance, was carried out in 1998 after a gap of 17 years. Likewise, more than 15 years have elapsed since the last census and we still lie in wait for this task to be performed again.
The Nawaz Administration had raised hopes in December 2013 after it announced it will hold the population census. But if reports appearing in the media are to be believed, the government has now put the plan on the back burner. That is bad news. We concede that holding a census does not merely involve pulling off a mammoth logistical feat. It also carries the risk of igniting political and social tensions, because it is not uncommon for different ethnic groups to complain of being under-counted once the exercise is done.
However, the fact that census is forever a subject of squabbles is not Pakistan’s problem alone. Other nations too have to come to grips with disparate voices raising alarm over perceived unfairness in the census’s conduct. But this must not be a good enough excuse to keep postponing the exercise. After all, its dividends are far too great to outweigh its potential pitfalls. The government must summon up courage to press ahead with this crucial job. For how would it plan ahead, if it does not have the requisite data it needs to bank on for crafting development strategies on healthcare, education, transport, housing and sundry other areas. How can it tailor an appropriate response if it is in the dark about critical numbers? Commanding a comfortable majority in parliament, we find no reason for the administration to be wary of any political fallout. It should trust its strength to carry out the long overdue head count and get its name written with adulatory words in the annals of history.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 17th, 2014.
The Nawaz Administration had raised hopes in December 2013 after it announced it will hold the population census. But if reports appearing in the media are to be believed, the government has now put the plan on the back burner. That is bad news. We concede that holding a census does not merely involve pulling off a mammoth logistical feat. It also carries the risk of igniting political and social tensions, because it is not uncommon for different ethnic groups to complain of being under-counted once the exercise is done.
However, the fact that census is forever a subject of squabbles is not Pakistan’s problem alone. Other nations too have to come to grips with disparate voices raising alarm over perceived unfairness in the census’s conduct. But this must not be a good enough excuse to keep postponing the exercise. After all, its dividends are far too great to outweigh its potential pitfalls. The government must summon up courage to press ahead with this crucial job. For how would it plan ahead, if it does not have the requisite data it needs to bank on for crafting development strategies on healthcare, education, transport, housing and sundry other areas. How can it tailor an appropriate response if it is in the dark about critical numbers? Commanding a comfortable majority in parliament, we find no reason for the administration to be wary of any political fallout. It should trust its strength to carry out the long overdue head count and get its name written with adulatory words in the annals of history.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 17th, 2014.