ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s planning minister Asad Umar said on Tuesday the federal cabinet had endorsed the decision of using technology to conduct the next census, adding it would be the first time in history the survey would be done after a gap of only five years.
Pakistan carried out the last nationwide census in 2017 after a gap of nearly 20 years, though its results were immediately disputed by various political factions who claimed the population data in some regions had been deliberately fudged by the authorities to meet their political objectives.
Umar told a group of journalists in Karachi last month the next general elections in 2023 would be held on the basis of the new census results, adding the exercise would be carried out with the help of digital technology to make the process more transparent and credible.
“Cabinet gave the approval for holding a census using modern digital technology and consistent with global best practices,” the planning minister said in a Twitter post. “Proposal for approval of CCI [Council of Common Interests] for holding the census will be moved soon. This will be first time in Pak history census will be held with a gap of only 5 years.”
The Council of Common Interests is a constitutional body that coordinates between the federal and provincial administrations and resolves power-sharing disputes between them.
Umar also congratulated the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) for devising the census strategy, saying the plan to hold the first ever modern nosecount in Pakistan was prepared after consulting academics and think tank scholars.
