Dar calls for updating census clause in light of modern tech.

ISLAMABAD -- Finance MinisAter Ishaq Dar on Thursday suggested that the Constitution be revisited to update the clause that required a census to be conducted every so often, so that the country could use technology to save money that would otherwise be spent on this exercise.

Mr Dar then proposed before the House that the 1973 Constitution be revisited with regards to the census to evolve a system of automatic updates by using technology, to save billions.

Federal Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar told the Senate during Question Hour that Article 58 of the Constitution required the conduct of general elections on the basis of last preceding census officially notified.

He observed that once the census was completed by April 30 and its results published, fresh delimitation would be carried out and elections to the National Assembly would be held under the new delimitation.

The minister was responding to and MQM Cabinet Minister Faisal Sabzwari and Hidayat Ullah, an independent senator, who expressed reservations over the ongoing digital census, with particular reference to Karachi and parts of ex-Fata.

Law minister says fresh delimitations to be carried out before National Assembly elections

He pointed out that in view of the modern technology, an amendment could be introduced regarding the automatic updating of census data, since Pakistan could not afford massive expenditure on this exercise.

'One of the points being discussed in the Supreme Court is that if elections to two assemblies are held on the old census now and then the poll...

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