ISLAMABAD: The Mutahidda Qaumi Movement (MQM) lawmakers on Thursday blamed the federal government of a lack of interest in conducting the Population Census on March 15, alleging that the government itself was creating hurdles in the process.
The MQM, during a calling attention notice over the distribution of blocks in Sindh, staged a token walkout from the National Assembly proceedings, calling the distribution of blocks as ‘flawed’.
Finance Parliamentary Secretary Rana Afzal, responding to the concerns raised by the MQM, said the number of blocks in urban and rural areas have increased up to 18 per cent and 2 per cent respectively. The urban blocks have increased to 21766 from 18451 and rural blocks to 17,209 in Sindh.
Afzal further said the urban blocks have increased and its proportion is 56 percent. He said the census was being held in two phases and this would take three months. He said mapping was carried out technically. “All the citizens would be part of the population census,” he added.
The MQM lawmakers said they were not satisfied over the replies from the government side so they staged a walkout.
Fouzia Hameed from the MQM said there was a double standard for mapping in the rural and urban area. “Briefing and figures both are unsatisfactory,” she said.
Syed Waseem Hussain from the MQM doubted the government’s intention. “The government is discriminatory towards Urdu speaking peoples,” he added. The MQM MNAs also criticised the government for not conducting the survey in one go.
MQM Sajid Ahmed offered to brief house over population census matter and distribution of blocks in Sindh area.
MQM’s parliamentary leader Farooq Sattar, talking to media at parliament gate, demanded ‘Google image mapping’ for the distribution of blocks in Sindh. “The seats will increase from 20 to 40 in national assembly if the blocks were distributed in fair manners,” he said.
“Sense of deprivation would further increase for the people of Karachiites,” he said, claiming to expose government ill-intention.
Sajid Ahmad and others denied the allegations of the MQM lawmakers adding the government has no intention to show urban population less than the rural population.
