The Council of Common Interest (CCI) meeting chaired by Prime Minister Imran Khan has approved the 2017 census results on Monday in spite of reservations expressed by Sindh in the previous meetings of the CCI.
The results of the census conducted in 2017 could not be approved owing to the differences between the Centre and Sindh province despite several meeting.
Addressing a press conference, Planning Minister Asad Umar said that a new framework for the census will be made and approved by the CCI. “A new census will start by the end of this year and will take 18 months to conclude,” said Asad Umar.
He said the next elections will likely be held in September-October 2023 on the basis of the new census. He said the government will start working on the new census framework without any delay.
According to Asad Umar, chief ministers of all three provinces and the representatives of the federation endorsed the census whereas Sindh CM Murad Ali Shah opposed it.
The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) had shown reservations over the demography, saying the census has failed to justice with Sindh, especially Karachi.
On Wednesday, the the CCI had held a meeting but it could not notify the results. Following the meeting, the PM Office had issued a statement that a final decision on notifying the census result would be taken on Monday.
The 44th meeting of the CCI was chaired by Prime Minister Imran Khan and attended by the federal ministers, Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar, Sindh CM Murad Ali Shah, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa CM Mahmood Khan, Balochistan CM Jam Kamal Alyani and chief secretaries of the four provinces.
The PPP in a statement had already rejected the move to notify the census results. “We not only condemn the decision of the federation to approve the controversial census but also reject it outright,” a PPP statement quoted a news media outlet stated.
The PPP has called it a conspiracy against Sindh and its people.
