Are we about to witness another delay?
Security was one problem why the census had been delayed for such a long time. The issue would hopefully be resolved with the induction of 45,000 troops in the electoral process. The other problem which persists and could assume alarming proportions in Balochistan is the presence of hundreds of thousands of Afghan refugees.
The census is going to be a headcount where possession of ID card is not required. As an official of the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) put it, every living soul in Pakistan will be counted on March 18. The official assured however that there is a special mechanism in place to screen out the Afghan refugees. The Army has been given the task to register on an official form the details of all foreigners. But is that enough?
The problem can arise when an outsider claims that he is a Pakistani. The only way to verify the claim is the CNIC. With hundreds of thousands of Afghans entering Balochistan in wave after wave since the initiation of Soviet-Afghan conflict thirty seven years back and during the successive civil war followed by the US invasion, three generations of Afghan refugees today live in Pakistan, many possessing CNICs. Others have married among the local Pashtuns and have children and grand children. The verification of nationality is going to be mind boggling exercise needing teams with specialised skills with Baloch participation and oversight.
The Afghan refugees have disturbed the time-honoured ethnic balance with an overall Baloch majority which ensured mutual cordiality. With head count providing basis for representation in the Provincial and National Assembly and population being the basis of distribution of development funds, the census has become a volatile issue among the Baloch. A jirga addressed by Baloch tribal elders and three former Chief Ministers of the province has warned it will not accept census in the presence of foreigners. It has further demanded that a large number of Baloch who were displaced as a result of worsening law and order situation in the province to be counted in the census.
