ISLAMABAD: Senators belonging to Sindh, Balochistan and Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) on Wednesday expressed serious reservations over the recently held population census and demanded of the government to remove their worries.
They expressed these views in an adjournment motion, moved by PPP Senator Taj Haider regarding the situation arising out of reservations expressed by various quarters on conduction on the Population Census 2017. They said that when the population was on a persistent increase, how the census revealed a decrease in population in Sindh, Balochistan and FATA.
Taj Haider claimed that the population of Karachi was reduced by five million. Sehar Kamran termed it inability of the government to conduct transparent population census. Balochistan Senator Usman Kakar claimed that since creation of Pakistan, actual population census was never held.
PML-N Senator Javed Abbasi claimed that who would benefit for changing the actual figure of census. The whole world was trying to reduce higher population growth but here public representatives fight for why there was a reduction in population, he said. “Efforts are being made to make population census controversial and may be to delay holding of general election in 2018.”
The Senate approved placement and adoption of amendment to Standing Order No 2.22 and insertion of new Standing Order Nos 2.25A and 2.53A. On behalf of Standing Committee on Law and Justice chairman, a member of the committee presented two reports on as many bills seeking constitutional amendment to Article 63A. The House adopted the report of the special committee on problems being faced by the oil sector/industry in the country.
Published in Daily Times, November 9th 2017.