The Supreme Court on Friday sought timeframe from the federation about holding of a national census within two weeks.
Chief Justice of Pakistan Anwar Zaheer Jamali, while heading a two-judge bench which heard the suo moto case regarding delay in carrying out a census in the country, remarked that “the court has nothing to do with the paperwork; it should be told when census would be conducted”.
During the course of proceedings, Additional Attorney General Rana Waqar told the court that census was the responsibility of the federal government. “According to the international convention, census is compulsory once within 10 years, thus thousands of soldiers are required for census,” he added.
Upon this, Justice Jamali questioned whether or not the government was interested in holding a census. “If yes, then the court should be informed through written statement about the exact timing (of the census),” he said.
The CJP also remarked that the government had saved constitutional books in the cupboards and it seemed as if it had no interest in census for 200 years.
After seeking written statement from the federal government, the court adjourned the hearing for two weeks.
