ISLAMABAD, Nov 22: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) reiterated on Friday call for holding population census across the country ‘as early as possible’, enabling it to carry out delimitation of national and provincial assembly constituencies well before the next general elections.

Sources told Dawn that a summary had been sent to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, asking him to place the matter before the Council of Common Interests for approval.

The population census was scheduled to be completed by end of 2011, but the process has yet to commence. The house listing exercise, which precedes the main census, was completed in April of 2011. The exercise was marred by glitches and subsequent delays, however.

The last time the census was carried out was in 1998, which many believed was not only disputed but stood grossly outdated after passage of 15 years because the population had increased at a rate of 2.3 per cent per annum. The demography of many big cities also had changed substantially. Many Pashto-speaking people moved from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to Karachi over the years, changing the political dynamics in some of the city’s areas.

The summary moved by the ECP points out that seats in the National Assembly are allocated to the provinces, Federally Administered Tribal Areas and Federal Capital Territory on the basis of the population in accordance with the last census officially published under article 51(3) of the constitution. Distribution of funds between the federation and the provinces are made through National Finance Commission. Article 160(2) of the constitution speaks about the formation of the NFC which also uses census figures.

The quota for recruitment on federal posts is also worked out on the basis of population ratios as given by the census. The census is undertaken with the legal cover of Census Ordinance 1959, which has been amended from time to time.

“The commission understands that a summary was moved to the prime minister in 2010 for conducting the population census in two phases; housing census in October/ November 2010 and individual census by March 2011. However the Council of Common Interests has yet to grant approval for the conduct of population census,” the ECP summary reads.

It also says that under the provisions of articles 51(3) and (5) of the constitution, and section 7 of the Delimitation of Constituencies Act, 1974, the delimitation of constituencies can only be undertaken after a fresh census. Because since the election of 2002, no fresh census was conducted, therefore, on the eve of general elections of 2008 and 2013 the ECP only re-described the constituencies where new districts, tehsils or administrative units were created by the provincial governments.

The electoral rolls published by the ECP in 2012 were prepared on the basis of new census blocks notified by the population census organisation the same year after the conduct of house listing exercise in 2011.

“Since the ECP is also responsible for carrying out the delimitation of national and provincial assemblies’ constituencies under articles 51(3) and (5) of the constitution, it seems appropriate that in view of increase of population since 1998 and creation of new districts, tehsils/talukas and other administrative boundaries in all the provinces, fresh delimitation of constituencies should be carried out throughout the country so as to increase the number of seats in the national and provincial assemblies, if required, and to provide the exact share of representation in the legislature(s) on the basis of population as contained in section 8 of the Delimitation of Constituencies, Act, 1974 and according to the principles of delimitation laid down under section 9 of the act,” the summary says.