Government’s lack of seriousness
The government has finally decided to hold a meeting of the CCI. The issue on the agenda is the demographic survey which the government hopes to begin next month. The last meeting of the CCI held in March 2015 had given the government exactly 12 months to make preparations for holding the exercise. It was also decided to seek the help of the army in the conduct of the census.
The government presumably got so much absorbed in other issues that it lost sight of the task for almost a whole year. The army, we are told at the eleventh hour, can provide no more than one fourth of the required security staff. Till Saturday the government had not devised an alternate security plan. Balochistan has expressed reservations about tens of thousands of Afghan nationals living in the province. As many have acquired Pakistan’s CNICs, their inclusion in the census could disturb the ethnic balance in the province. This is no ordinary matter when funds are to be allocated to provinces and regions on the basis of population. Sindh’s demand for representation on the Census Commission to watch its interests remains unfulfilled. As the government has done little to resolve these issues, questions are being asked about the PML-N’s seriousness to hold the already overdue census on time.
The government is often accused of paying attention only to projects that can help it fetch votes in the forthcoming elections while ignoring crucial national issues. With dwindling water resources, a yawning energy deficit, and an expanding population with higher expectations, Pakistan needs a fresh census to give planners the essential tools for future projections. Among other things, the NFC award, delimitation of electoral constituencies, seat shares in parliament, and targeted subsidies depend on population data. Any perception of mishandling the sensitive exercise would strengthen the sense of deprivation, bolster parochial tendencies and create a wave of unrest in the smaller provinces. Had the government been holding CCI meetings regularly, as demanded by the opposition, the situation would not have arisen.