Govt agrees to address MQMP concerns over census

KARACHI/ISLAMABAD: The federal government Wednesday agreed to address the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan’s (MQMP) reservations over the ongoing digital census — the seventh in the country’s history — after reports surfaced that the party had asked its lawmakers to hand in their resignations.

According to the MQM-P spokesperson, all aspects of the census were reviewed in a meeting held between the party and the government’s delegation during which the former’s delegation also presented findings of the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS).

The government’s delegation, the spokesperson said, acknowledged MQMP’s concerns. They also agreed to resolve the issues and stop the irregularities identified in the ongoing census. The delegation, headed by the party’s Convener Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui and comprising Syed Mustafa Kamal, Farooq Sattar, Syed Amin Ul Haque and Javed Haneef, held a meeting with the ministers in Islamabad.

The government’s delegation comprised Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Minister Ahsan Iqbal, Railway Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique and Chief Commissioner for Census Dr Naeem Uz Zafar.