House-count controversy

[asif86]

http://www.dawn.com/2011/06/21/house-count-controversy.html

THE Election Commission of Pakistan and the Population Census Organisation supplement and complement each others efforts regarding population figures. The job of the ECP starts where the task of the census organisation ends. Recent developments have left many question marks against the performance of these institutions, and have caused worry for the people of Sindh. The task of the Population Census Organisation is house-listing and population census. This work is multi-dimensional and so lengthy, that even if expedited, it would take at least six months to get the final figures. The census organisation after compiling a comprehensive report submits it to two government organisations, the ECP and Nadra. These two institutions begin preparations for national identity cards and voter lists in the light of the census report.

A worrisome situation has arisen. The Sindh election commissioner announced the figures of the house count. [T]he census commissioner has rejected these figures and said that his organisation has not submitted the final house-listing report to the ECP as yet. If this is so, how did the ECP announced the house-count figures? The controversy echoes the apprehensions of the Sindhi people who had challenged the . reliability and authenticity of these figures. Following the controversy the Sindh government has decided to move the Council of Common Interests a laudable action, provided its not left halfway. It is also imperative that the ECP and Population Census Organisation work in coordination and get positive results. The results will serve as a critical reference point to ensure the efficient and equitable distribution of resources. At the same time, these figures will determine which ethnic group in Sindh has a majority and which is in a minority. (June 19)

Selected and translated by Sohail Sangi

 

[asif86]

http://tribune.com.pk/story/192718/...unofficial-results-to-elicit-sindhi-response/
HYDERABAD:
Sindhi nationalist parties have reiterated their distrust of the 2011 national housing census with the Sindh Taraqi Pasand (STP) saying that the ‘unofficial results’ were revealed as a trick to trigger a reaction from the Sindhi-speaking population. “The results are objectionable because they show that of the 10.75 million houses in Sindh, Karachi has 3.7 million,” said the STP’s Dr Rajab Memon, at a press conference on Monday.

Several days ago, the census results were disclosed on a television channel by an election commission officer from Sukkur district but they were neither rebutted nor accepted by the Sindh Census Commission’s Noor Muhammad Laghari, who also appeared in the same programme.

STP’s Dr Memon tried to point out that the results, which he described as “engineered” were “irrational” and an effort to elicit a reaction from Sindhis. “According to the 1998 census, Karachi had nearly 2 million houses. The new census shows the figure to have almost doubled in less than 13 years, which is hard to believe,” he said. He demanded a new house census be held in Karachi from July.

Although Karachi is the largest among the 23 districts of Sindh, the proportion of households cannot be one-third of the total, he argued.
He asserted that the Sindhi-speaking population will not tolerate the government’s efforts to convert them into a minority. According to Dr Memon, his party would organise protests for three days in Sindh, starting June 24.

 

[asif86]

http://www.dawn.com/2011/06/21/unofficial-results-of-house-count-rejecte.html

HYDERABAD, June 20: The Sindh Taraqqi Pasand Party has rejected unofficial results of house count as bogus and urged the government to carry out the exercise afresh in a transparent manner.

Addressing a news conference at the press club here on Monday, the party`s general secretary Prof Dr Rajab Ali Memon, vice-chairman Haider Shahani and other leaders said that according to the unofficial results, there were 10.75 million houses in Sindh out of which 3.7 million houses were in Karachi alone.

According to these results, population of Karachi came to about 18.5 million i.e. 35 per cent of the total, which was a clear forgery, said Dr Rajab.

He pointed out that in the 1961 census, Karachi`s population was recorded at 24 per cent of the entire population of Sindh and according to population census of 1981, when people from the different regions of Punjab, Pakhtoons, Bangladeshis and other immigrants had settled in Sindh, percentage of Karachi`s census came to only 28 per cent.

Therefore, the present house count and approximate population of Karachi was bogus, he said and demanded that the house count exercise should be held afresh in Karachi in July.

He saw the statistics issued by the Election Commission Sindh and the contradiction issued by Census Commissioner as a farce aimed at hoodwinking Sindhis.

He said the results were engineered to make indigenous population appear in minority with a view to depriving it of its genuine rights.
Dr Rajab appealed to Sindhi people to rise against the false and engineered census and announced that the party would hold demonstrations across SIndh on June 23, 24 and 25 to protest against the bogus census.

He said the STP was a democratic, nationalist and progressive party and it represented the poor and middle class irrespective of religion, race, colour, gender and language.

He said that his party was striving to end terrorism in Sindh and seek a new political framework based on the 1940 Resolution. The STP was against the outdated Jagirdari system and was struggling to create an enlightened democratic society, he said.
He said the STP was the first nationalist party to have registered itself with the Election Commission of Pakistan as the party planned to fully take part in upcoming elections.

 

[Bombaybuz]

Naik niyati dono taraf he nahi hai na ginti karney walaon main na he atraaz karney walon main ... per maza ki baat ya hai jo atraaz ker rahey hain un ki sindh essambly main aik seat bhe nahi hai ....