20:20
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ISLAMABAD: The Census department has handed over all maps and data to the Election Commission for delimitation of constituencies in Karachi but has expressed its inability to carry out a population count before the coming general election, The News has learnt.
“Not less than a year is required even if all-out funding is made available and security arrangements are provided to our teams, staff members and hired enumerators by provincial governments,” say official sources privy to recent developments.
The MQM is the only party that demands countrywide census before the delimitation. “It is practicable only if tenure of sitting assemblies is extended for one year or more, which, none of the parties desire,” the officials maintain.
Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, an amalgamation of previously four organisations including Population Census Organisation, has been the hub of activities of government functionaries, relevant authorities from other departments such as the ECP. “The ECP announced a schedule for Karachi delimitation after taking our input.”
The officials quoted the census department as telling the government that it would have to conduct a fresh House Listing process (House count) to pave the way for population census. “The last year house listing is now outdated one.”
“However, we have handed over to the government and the ECP the mapping useful for the delimitation of electoral constituencies in Karachi. “It would substantially help the commission carry out delimitation within a shortest possible time, not more than one month.”
The census department, they said, believes that Karachi delimitation is practicable before the election in order to implement Supreme Court verdict, whereas a fresh census is totally unworkable if polls are to be organised within legitimate time period.
To a query, the officials said the last year census exercise, postponed only after House listing was completed, has become outdated and of no use because of passage of more than one year. “We would have to update the listing through a process followed last year.”
The last (5th) census was organised in 1998 and fresh is due for the last five years (since 2008).
“Not less than a year is required even if all-out funding is made available and security arrangements are provided to our teams, staff members and hired enumerators by provincial governments,” say official sources privy to recent developments.
The MQM is the only party that demands countrywide census before the delimitation. “It is practicable only if tenure of sitting assemblies is extended for one year or more, which, none of the parties desire,” the officials maintain.
Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, an amalgamation of previously four organisations including Population Census Organisation, has been the hub of activities of government functionaries, relevant authorities from other departments such as the ECP. “The ECP announced a schedule for Karachi delimitation after taking our input.”
The officials quoted the census department as telling the government that it would have to conduct a fresh House Listing process (House count) to pave the way for population census. “The last year house listing is now outdated one.”
“However, we have handed over to the government and the ECP the mapping useful for the delimitation of electoral constituencies in Karachi. “It would substantially help the commission carry out delimitation within a shortest possible time, not more than one month.”
The census department, they said, believes that Karachi delimitation is practicable before the election in order to implement Supreme Court verdict, whereas a fresh census is totally unworkable if polls are to be organised within legitimate time period.
To a query, the officials said the last year census exercise, postponed only after House listing was completed, has become outdated and of no use because of passage of more than one year. “We would have to update the listing through a process followed last year.”
The last (5th) census was organised in 1998 and fresh is due for the last five years (since 2008).
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