The alleged undercounting of Pakistan’s population in the latest national census, particularly in Karachi, has stirred controversy and presented another challenge for an already beleaguered government.
Concerns arose when it was revealed that Karachi’s population had supposedly decreased by 15% with 90% of the census completed. As of the latest data, the population of Pakistan’s largest city stands at 15.85 million, just 1% lower than the 2017 census figure.
Experts dispute the accuracy of these results, asserting that Karachi’s population cannot decline or remain stagnant since it is experiencing growth due to births and migration from various parts of the country. Multiple sources indicate the nationwide population is 233 million, a significant 9% increase from the previous official count of 213.2 million, including areas like the Pakistan-controlled part of Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan.
The national census is constitutionally mandated and holds immense implications for resource allocation, constituency delimitation for elections, job quotas, and policy planning. The census began on March 1, with over 120,000 enumerators using digital tablets and geotagging to collect data.
Censuses are complex and contentious endeavors worldwide, often raising concerns about privacy, data quality, and representation. In the case of Pakistan, undercounting in Karachi could be attributed to various factors, including untrained staff and flaws in the process.
The situation has escalated with political parties rejecting the results in Karachi. Pakistan People’s Parrty (PPP), Jamaat-e-Islami, MQM-P and other parties including nationalists are complaining about the undercount of the population.
If the new census numbers stand, Karachi may lose two seats in the National Assembly and four in the provincial assembly due to the apparent population reduction.
The PML-N led government is facing backlash and their allies are also rejecting the results, while the sources have said that a meeting of the Council of Common Interests (CCI) has been summoned today by the prime minister reportedly to pass the census results.
All chief ministers will attend the meeting of the CCI today in which PBS’s complied data of census will be reviewed. The Pakistan People’s Party, one of the major allies of the PML-N led government has been complaining about neglecting their reservations. If the census is approved tomorrow, we have to see how the other main allied party, MQM-P reacts and what will be the PPP’s stance as they had been rejecting the results.
