ECP directs government for early publication of Census data

KARACHI: The Election Commission of Pakistan on Tuesday ordered the federal government for an early publication of the population census, ARY News reported.

A meeting of the ECP chaired by Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja considered petitions of the Government of Sindh, Pakistan People’s Party and the MQM and publication of the data of the population census and delimitation process in Sindh.

“The data of the population census is a fundamental factor for delimitation of constituencies,” it was observed in the meeting.

“Government publication of the population census is necessary for the delimitation process”, the ECP session concluded.

The ECP, accepting the PPP stance over delimitation of constituencies, ordered the federal government for an early publication of the population census data.

It is pertinent to mention here that Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on Sunday said that local government elections in the province will be held after delimitation of constituencies and the exercise of delimitation will be held after the population census.

The process of delimitation under the law, could be initiated after approval of the census results by the Council of Common Interest (CCI), he said.

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) had recently said that local government elections in Sindh could not take place until a final notification of the population census, carried out in 2017, be issued.

PPP’s Sindh chief Nisar Khuhro after attending a meeting of the ECP on local government elections had said the commission was informed that even carrying out delimitation of constituencies before publication of the final report of the census was unlawful.