KARACHI: Chief of the Karachi chapter of Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman has said that the future of Karachi is dependent on the census, so Karachiites would not compromise on the fairness of the census process.

Expressing his views at the Idara Noor-e-Haq, he said that the census would help decide about the availability of resources for the mega-city and matters concerning its representation in the provincial and national legislatures.

He said that outcomes of the 2017 census had already been mired in controversy as the process was used as a tool to reduce the population of Karachi on record. He was of the opinion that the last census didn’t count half the city’s population as Karachiites.

He categorically said that “any such deception” in the name of the digital census would not be tolerated.

According to the available reports, the census procedure allows the masses to register themselves but doesn’t provide any mechanism to confirm the registration of a person during the census, said the JI leader. Furthermore, the government, the statistics department and other relevant agencies are claiming that they are not supposed to declare the counting at various levels.

He demanded of the government to simplify the procedure and count each and every person wherever they are found. He also urged the government to devise a mechanism to allow citizens to check their status with regard to the census.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023