Summary Population count is expected to be held next year, the Chief Census Commissioner said.
ISLAMABAD (Dunya News / AFP) – Chief Census Commissioner Asif Bajwa on Thursday stated that Pakistan’s population census is impossible without army’s help and the process has been delayed because army men are engaged in operation Zarb-e-Azb in the North Waziristan tribal region.
Speaking to reporters in Islamabad, the Chief Census Commissioner said that army jawans’ availability will be confirmed in November or December.
Population count is expected to be held in March or April next year, he added.
He further stated that Rs1.90 billion funds out of allocated Rs14 billion budget for census have been released.
205,000 workers are required for census across Pakistan, the Chief Census Commissioner said.
The last census was carried out in 1998 when the population was counted at 132 million people.
It is since believed to have crossed the 200 million mark, an estimate based on figures from yearly growth statements issued by the country’s statistics bureau and survey work, making Pakistan the sixth most populous country in the world.
Pakistan was due to conduct a census in 2008 and 2010 but political unrest, conflict, and natural disasters contributed to delays.
The census is also a sensitive issue politically because it determines the amount of development budget allocated to each of the country’s provinces.
