RAWALPINDI: Chief of Army Staff General Qammar Javed Bajwa on Friday approved the plan to support and conduct the sixth population and housing census, the Inter-Services Public Relation (ISPR) said.
The statement said that up to 200,000 troops will be deployed during the census while continuing other security responsibilities.
#COAS approves plan to support conduct of 6th Population & Housing Census. Upto 200,000 troops will be emp while cont other security resps.
— Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor (@OfficialDGISPR) January 27, 2017
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The census will be carried out from March 15 in close coordination of provincial governments, after a committee of secretary statistics and four chief secretaries will be formed to address all implementation issues.
The Supreme Court had taken a suo moto notice last month and ordered the government to resume the much-delayed census by March 15 and complete it within two months.
Pakistan has conducted five census in 1951, 1961, 1972, 1981 and 1998. The sixth census was due in 2008 but could not be held and would be conducted from March 15, 2017.