HYDERABAD: Leaders of Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) said on Sunday that the current digital census clearly turned out to be an issue of language instead of rural-urban divide, and cautioned powers that be that parliament would be irrelevant for them if flaws were not rectified.

They said that their community which supported the MQM-P were not citizens of certain hostile countries that they should not be counted properly in the census in those cities with influx of illegal immigrants in addition to natural growth ratio.

Speaking at a programme titled Shahri Sindh Ka Muqdama at a banquet, MQM-P convener Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui said people of urban areas were becoming irrelevant to all issues but rulers were not taking notice of it. “When Mohajirs’ elders come to Pakistan, Karachi was not part of Sindh and it had not been a part of Sindh historically as well. It was Pakistan’s capital. When ‘One Unit’ was came into effect, our elders were asked whether they want a separate province or remain part of Sindh. Our elders decided that Sindh needs us as we have established institutions here,” he said.

Dr Siddiqui said he would not discuss historical mistakes as it would open a Pandora’s Box. Today, he said, there were ‘two Sindhs’ introduced by others.

Vows to move all relevant local and foreign forums for fair enumeration in Sindh

“One Sindh contributes 97pc and the other utilises this 97pc budget,” he wondered.

He maintained rural urban divide was not given effect by MQM. He said if urban centres were excluded from Sindh, even 2pc budget would not be seen here. He asked why did the late [prime minister] Z.A. Bhutto introduce rural urban format in Sindh alone when he got majority in Punjab as well and if it was all about point of backwardness in Sindh. “

We didn’t introduce this rural-urban divide,” he remarked. He said that quota system was driven by issue of language and not by ‘rural-urban point’. “This digital census issue revolves around language and not rural urban factor,” he observed.

He said urban centres had no responsibility to contribute tax alone. “It’s jaziya, and not tax, being recovered from aliens. So, count us as aliens,” he said.

MQM-P only wanted that proper count should be done, he stressed.

Dr Siddiqui said an officer related to Sindh’s census conveyed a message that if rural-urban average was maintained, then things would be settled down. “MQM had approached government, state and every quarter only for a fair counting of our population,” he said. He added that an artificial majority was ruling over a majority and its chief minister was being artificially elected and he was using 100pc authority.

He said MQM-P did not want the 18th constitutional amendment rolled back, but its implementation and it also involved Article 140 which dealt with local government system. He remarked that the Constitution’s 50 years was being celebrated in the country although this document could not protect itself. “This Constitution gives so many rights but it was not sufficient. He said that the revenues generated in urban centres were not being spent for the poor but Dubai’s real estate which was growing. He asked people to explain what MQM-P should do if the population count was not transparently done. He said that his party had done enough to appease people. He hoped that rulers would realise delicacy and sensitivity of the situation.

‘MQM-P got census deadline extended’

Senior deputy convener Syed Mustafa Kamal said that it was MQM-P’s efforts that census date was extended. “Will this get you a Nobel prize or Nishan-i-Haider if you undercount cities? Or does city mayor have the authority to appoint army chief? City’s mayor only deals with sanitation issues,” he said, alluding to PPP’s vow to bring a jiyala mayor.

Sharing details, he said, enumerators didn’t reach 1,464 buildings as per PBS’s own claim. “We are only warning you to desist from this; let the time come and people should not listen to us. We have approached every quarter for a fair census,” he said.

Mr Kamal claimed that one million houses in Karachi and 137,000 in Hyderabad remained missing because each block in Karachi and Hyderabad showed 187 houses contrary to its usual numbers of 200-250 houses in other cities thus showing a deficit of 63 houses in each block of these two cities. In 2017 census, six persons were counted in each house of these cities but in 2023 the number dropped to five. This one person was not counted in 2.9m houses cumulatively. He said that mathematics of this census showed that around 5m people were not counted in these cities. “What are you doing with us?” he asked. All these figures, he said, were official statistics of PBS. He said that the ratio of households comprising just one person was nine per cent in Karachi and Hyderabad which was too interesting.

“All these figures have to be fixed by PBS”, he said.

Mr Kamal said it was ridiculous that Jacobabad was showing 58pc and Larkana 38pc population growth while Karachi and Hyderabad just nine per cent growth.

Dr Farooq Sattar said that if justice was not done then MQM would be within its right to approach international forums like parliaments of Britain and Europe and think tanks in other countries to expose these anomalies in census.

He said that the 2017 census led to ‘40pc missing population in urban centres’ that needed to be recovered. “It shows as if our people are only dying,” he said.

Hyderabad Chamber of Commerce President Adeel Siddiqui, Hyderabad Small Chamber leader Altaf Memon and others also spoke.

Published in Dawn, May 8th, 2023