Complicated counting

Now that the first stage of the census is underway, many problems that previously went unnoticed are starting to emerge. Not surprisingly, these problems are mainly afflicting minority communities as there is lesser consideration for their needs. It started with the census forms themselves, which listed only five religions and lumped everyone else together in the “other” category. This meant the large Sikh community, Parsis, Buddhists and Baha’i were all counted together. Having more specific information is important not just for the communities themselves but for the country as a whole. As an example, we have all heard about how the Parsi community is immigrating to other countries in droves, leaving only a handful of people behind from what was one of the most vibrant communities in the country. The census should have been able to give us a concrete number. Even adherents of those religions which are being counted are facing some problems. The census form includes a separate box for Hindus who belong to scheduled castes. But the enumerators who are going round the country with census forms are only asking for religion and have not been trained to then ask Hindus if they belong to a scheduled caste.

There are anywhere from 3.5 to 4.5 million Hindus living in Pakistan – although we cannot be sure of the exact number since the state hasn’t conducted a census for 19 years. There is a dispute about what percentage of that population belongs to scheduled castes, with ‘upper-caste’ Hindus putting the number at about 10 percent while members of the scheduled castes themselves claiming the number is much higher. Since this next census will be used as an official number, the undercounting of scheduled caste Hindus because of the lack of training given to enumerators will have grave effects. The scheduled castes are among the most vulnerable population segment in the country. Being a minority within a minority means they are not just subject to the official and unofficial discrimination against Hindus, they face further discrimination from other Hindus. Getting a sense of how many scheduled caste Hindus there are, which areas they are concentrated in and how many of them have jobs would have been an important first step in helping them out. That opportunity could now be lost.