Digital census.

FOR the first time in national history, a digital population census has started across the country. This is going to be one of the most expensive censuses in the history of Pakistan. The government has spent a huge amount on buying the latest gadgets that are not available locally.

Although the official results of the population census held in 2017 were not publicly announced due to reservations expressed by some political parties, another census has commenced in the country in less than a decade. This time again there are some issues that may create political turmoil in the immediate future.

For instance, the latest laptops being used in the census have internet access and the information that is being gathered from the citizens can be directly uploaded on to the main server based in the offices of the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) headquarters. This is surely going to be a positive step for urban areas, but what about the periphery areas where proper internet service is still a dream? How will these laptops upload the data on to the PBS database from those areas?

Then the software that is being used in the gadgets is new for many who are using it. They are...