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Census operations in Pak

Kashmir Times. Dated: 3/25/2017 10:33:42 AM

The present government must conduct a census despite the resistance from various groups for real data on population

Pakistan government's decision to conduct country-wide census after much delay, is a welcome step that would allow the present rulers to formulate realistic policies to address the challenges it faces. It is an accepted principle that data handling and its use for the purpose of economic development of the people is necessary all over the world. In the absence of statistics about the population of the country, it is considered extremely difficult to formulate plans for development and economic well being of the people. It is also accepted norm that data are critical as key federal decisions such as resource allocation for provinces and delimitation of electoral constituencies are taken based on demographic numbers. Due to opposition from various quarters, the census operation in Pakistan has been delayed from time to time coupled with disturbed conditions in various parts of the country. This exercise would be the first census operation in 19 years. The Pakistan government is expected to do it every 10 years like many other countries in the world, but Pakistani authorities, under pressure from political parties and ethnic groups, have delayed the process. The Nawaz Sharif government actually moved into action after a Supreme Court order set a March deadline to start the census process. The army has offered to provide at least 200,000 personnel for security for the 70-day campaign all across the country. It is not difficult to see why traditional political parties and ethnic leaders oppose the data-gathering. Since the last census was conducted in 1998 by the second Sharif government, Pakistan has undergone major changes. There has been a massive influx of people into Sindh, while the population growth in Punjab is slowing down. But political parties in Sindh say many Sindhis in rural areas of the province may not be counted as they do not have national identity cards. The exercise of providing national identity cards has also not been completed for the reasons that included opposition from the parties and tribal groups. Punjabis fear the current edge they have in Pakistan's politics on the strength of demographics may be diminished. In Balochistan, local political groups had demanded that the process be delayed till hundreds of thousands of Afghan refugees are returned to Afghanistan. The refugees have been excluded from the process following a ruling by the Baloch High Court. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, tribal groups have opposed the census citing reverse migration of locals and influx of Afghan refugees. Large chunks of Afghan population also poses a major challenge to the Pakistan government because of the fact that the concerned authorities have to plan many schemes for them also for providing wherewithal to them in the absence of permanent structures for them or till they return to their homeland.
Apart from these challenges, the Pakistan government still have much to do for the welfare not only its own population but also tackle the problems posed by the heavy influx of the Afghan refugees. But such challenges will always be there, given the influence of ethnic groups and provincial satraps in Pakistani politics. It is more important for Islamabad to not give in to pressure to delay critical administrative decisions that concern a whole lot of population of the country. The census is not merely an exercise of counting heads but collection of data that is critical for future planning of the country. It provides information on key indicators such as population density, gender ratio, literacy rate, economic situations and employment conditions. As the 19-year-old census data is obsolete, it is crucial for the Pakistan government to obtain an updated picture of the country's socio-economic composition to make the right policy choices. The government's announcement that it will go ahead with the census, even if under pressure from the court, also acts as a pointer to increasing sense of confidence in Islamabad. Pakistan is going through a relatively stable phase, economically and politically since Nawaz Sharif government took over four years back. The Nawaz Sharif government doesn't face any existential challenge and is set to become the second elected government in Pakistan's history to finish its full term next year. Economic growth has also picked up on all fronts. This allows Mr. Sharif to take some risks for long-term reforms. His government should stay the course towards working out a realistic reallocation of resources and parliamentary seats to the provinces based on the new census data. This is the only way forward for the economic and educational development of the society which can make the country strong to face the future challenges.