All set for CCI meeting to take decision on census results

ISLAMABAD: The government is all set to convene a meeting of the Council of Common Interests (CCI) before the completion of its tenure next month. There is a possibility it may table the results of the digital population census before it for taking a final decision.

There are three possibilities after the presentation of census results. The results may be scrapped in the wake of serious flaws to be identified by the stakeholders during the CCI meeting, or they get approved. There can be consequences of delaying the elections in the wake of the delimitation exercise.

The third possibility will be the formation of a committee to resolve the lingering disputes and find out a solution acceptable to all the stakeholders.

There will be consequences for choosing one out of the three options. If there is any plan for delaying the general elections at any level, the digital census results might be approved.

In case the CCI grants its approval even after completion of the tenure of PDM-led regime, there might be chances of delaying the elections for four to five months. The Election Commission might say it would require a few months for undertaking the delimitation exercise in accordance with the approved census results done by the CCI.

The PBS has accomplished the task of conducting Post Enumeration Survey for verifying the first-ever results of digital population census in selected blocks of 48 districts. The PBS had selected 2,500 blocks in the country to recheck the counting in order to give credibility to this exercise. Some results of the latest population census were quite unique and interesting in Balochistan areas having large population of Baloch nationals.

There are complaints of over-counting in rural parts of Sindh. In urban parts of the province, especially in Karachi, there were rampant complaints over less counting of populations. The dates of stipulated time frame of the census were extended, and the Post Enumeration Survey finally conducted. But its results could not be ascertained, triggering chances of controversy.

“Now, the PBS has been assigned to prepare results of the population census till July 31, 2023, and then it might be tabled before the CCI in the first week of August,” official sources confirmed while talking to The News on Tuesday.

The Census Monitoring Committee (CMC) had instructed for conducting Post Enumeration Survey (PES) from July 8, 2023. It was decided to conduct the PES in the remaining three districts of Kohistan and snow-bound areas of KPK, AJ&K and GB from July 8.

The PES got completed within 15 days. The work plan, methodology and sample design for conducting the survey by using Stratified Sampling Technique was also approved by the Census Monitoring Committee. In PES, Nadra had provided technical cooperation for software for the purpose of testing.