ISLAMABAD: Chief Census Commissioner Dr Naeemuz Zafar has said that Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) is poised to commence enumeration operations in areas impacted by snowfall and security concerns after receiving the green light from respective provincial governments.

Mr Zafar, accompanied by PBS Member Sarwar Gondal, said respective governments had been requested to indicate the appropriate time for field census operation in snow-bound areas comprising 129 blocks of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, 80 blocks of Gilgit-Baltistan and 16 blocks of Mansehra, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The provincial governments have been reque­sted to indicate the appropriate time for census field operation for law and order-hit 57 blocks of Rojhan, Punjab, and 11 blocks of Ghotki, Sindh. The government of KP has also been requested to indicate the appropriate time for census field operation in Kohistan after devising a comprehensive strategy, he said.

At the briefing the post-census schedule was shared with journalists from the collection of tablets to the processing of data and verification.

As per plans, the digital census was closed on May 15, but tablets’ access remained open for specific districts till May 22 for verification of leftover areas to ensure complete coverage as per a decision of the Census Monitoring Committee (CMC).

The retrieval of tablets from field staff at the Census Support Centre (CSC) will be commenced on May 24 after synchronisation of the remaining data, if any.

The Nadra team at CSC will ensure complete synchronisation of data before receiving tablets from the field staff and Nadra will provide a certificate for complete data synchronisation from tablet to the database.

All the DCs/ACs, being Census District Officers (CDO), will provide duly filled and signed completion certificates in the prescribed format at the earliest.

The payment to the field staff for census work will be made after provision of the completion certificate by the respective DC/AC as per the decision of the CMC.

The concerned DC/AC being the CDO will get data manually in respect of the complainant of non-coverage, if any, for onward transmission to PBS for further necessary action.

The headcount data of armed forces-restricted areas and collective residences will be incorporated in the population counts of the respective blocks.

The citizens’ complaints regarding non-coverage will be entertained and redressed at CSC as well as PBS Call Centers (0800-57574) till May 30, 2023, subject to provision of NIC number and requisite information.

Simultaneously, the verification for quality assurance of the data will be continued by using a modern technique called Computer Assisted Telephonic Interview (CATI).

The committee of renowned demographers was constituted in the light of a decision of the CMC to analyse the census data for pointing out departures from normal trends, if any.

The committee of demographers will finalise its recommendations for consideration of CMC after analysing the census data by applying demographic techniques, keeping in view forensic reports.

The population count will be changed owing to data synchronisation, the addition of restricted areas and collective residence aggregated counts and change on the basis of recommendations of the demographers’ committee approved by CMC.

Published in Dawn, May 23rd, 2023