Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah said on Sunday that the central government was not paying heed to Sindh’s reservation over the census to be held in the country, most probably this year.
Speaking at an all parties conference held at the Chief Minister House and attended by opposition parties including the MQM, PTI, PML-N and others, Shah said: “Neither our reservations were addressed nor did the federal government hold any consultation with us”.
He said Sindh was neglected by the federal government which did not even consult the province with regard to the commission which, he said, was not a bipartisan body to hold the census. Nihal Hashmi, a Senator of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, endorsed Shah’s views and claimed that the federal government had also similar concerns. He assured the participants of the APC that the federation would not adopt any course of action which would be against the law. Speaking at the conference, PTI lawmaker Arif Alvi said that all the segments of the society must have equal rights in the census. He said electoral rolls and computerised identity cards might help in the census.