Five percent census results face validation challenge

There are some serious challenges in validation of five percent results of population census agreed upon between the federal government and provinces at the Council of Common Interests (CCI) forum and the decision may be reverted. Secretary Ministry of Statistics Rukhsana Yaseem told a meeting of the National Assembly on Statistics, presided over by Dr Ramesh Kumar, that "there are some serious issues due to time factor" and validation of five percent results of population census may not be possible.
The validation of census result is possible within three to four months after the exercise due to time factor. Upon this, the chairman of the committee stated that CCI meeting scheduled for Wednesday (today) may decide that "audit issue will not proceed further." The CCI meeting convened by the Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi will consider an agenda item of Ministry of Statistics regarding Monitoring and Oversight Committee of the senators for 5% validation exercise of the census results.
Rukhsana Yaseem said that initially the CCI decision was to carry out a random validation exercise of 1% of the census results across the country, however, later the same forum decided that audit will be conducted on 5% of census results. As the exercise was to be started by a private party in December 2017, a letter was received from the Senate bearing signatures of Taj Haider and other senators. The letter provided totally different seven points against the ones agreed upon during the CCI meeting to carry out the audit exercise.
She said the provisional results of the census have already been provided to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and election can be held on the basis of provisional results. In reply to a question, she said, "No formal complaint in writing was filed with us and political parties' reservation were either appeared in newspapers or raised in the Parliament." She said a political party visited them on the issue and it was requested to provide complaints in writing but the party never turned up despite promise.