KARACHI: Political leaders, traders, legal experts and human rights activists agreed on Sunday that the ongoing census would serve no purpose, but rather could prove counterproductive for Karachi and its people, if the ‘flaws’ in the process which were pointed out by stakeholders were not removed.

At a stakeholders’ conference organised by the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaat a local hotel, there was a consensus among the speakers that it would be much better to re-launch the exercise, or reassess it or even stop the process, until the ‘obvious flaws’ were fixed and ‘visible ill-intentions’ were removed.

Representatives of the Jamaat-i-Islami, Grand Democratic Alliance, Majlis Wahdat-i-Muslimeen, traders and industrialists and other attended the moot. The ruling Pakistan Peoples Party and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement were not invited.

The keynote speaker at the conference, former federal minister and senior PTI leader Asad Umar, was more critical about the role of those parties which passed the results of National Census 2017.

PTI-convened moot calls for re-launching national exercise

He said this was the reason of their differences with the past government, but these political parties were found to be silent on the fresh process which was underway with much more flaws than the previous exercise.

“I wonder how MQM friends are so much satisfied with the ongoing census that they even offered the vote of confidence to the prime minister a couple of days ago,” he said.

“It was the MQM which was angry at 2017 census and declared it unfair. It was our government which agreed that it was an injustice with Karachi and its people. But today we see the MQM is very much part of this fraud census. I request Khalid Maqbool and Ameen ul Haque that please don’t do this. Please quit the federal cabinet and Sindh governor office,” he said.

Sardar Raheem of the Grand Democratic Alliance demanded that the process of ongoing digital census was stopped immediately, saying that it would badly damage the social, economic and political scope of the country’s business capital and other parts of Sindh.

“He recalled as to how he as a minister of planning and development during the PTI government went to find out constitutional way out for another census after five years which is only allowed once in a decade. To choose technology as a tool for the fresh census, he said, the PTI government set aside funds, brought in technologists and experts and designed a comprehensive plan, which promised a fair, transparent and effective count of people.

“This government ruined it all,” said the PTI leader. “They don’t want fair count. They don’t want justice and they don’t respect constitution. They only know how to amend laws to exploit them in their own favour.”

“To prove me wrong let the government make the current census data available for common men and women so they can see either they are registered or not. Everyone should have right to get registered and then confirm this registration through any proven mean,” he added.

Advocate Saifuddin of the Jamaat-i-Islami regretted how the parties who raised voice for the rights of Karachi and its people were called ‘ethnically biased’. He said it was the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party which spread ethnic hatred through bad governance and unjust count of Karachi people.

“Let this matter be discussed in parliament first,” he suggested. “After a detailed discussion among the legislators over the flaws and their implications, we can have some solution of this process. After that this exercise can be re-launched. But if this continues with the same flaws, let everyone be very clear that it will be devastating for everyone,” he added.

Shabbar Zaidi, former Federal Bureau of Revenue chairman, saw an ‘organised’ move behind the census ‘aimed at keeping middle class of the country uncounted’.

“Karachi represents educated, civilised and middle class segment of the society,” he said. It is [ongoing census] actually being carried out to keep this segment uncounted for different reasons. But one must understand that if Karachi doesn’t prosper, the country cannot prosper. After this census and lower number of Karachi population, there would be a major cut in funds for this city and its people,” he warned.

Published in Dawn, May 1st, 2023