Pakistan census being used as a tool for politics.

ISLAMABAD -- Pakistan's seventh Population and Housing Census has been marred by controversy as stakeAholders, particularly in Sindh, are dissatisfied with the results.

According to an official from the Pakistan Bureau of StatisAtics (PBS), the problem lies not with the finding of the census but with the outcome, which links population with the numAber of seats in parliament, the quota system, and, most imAportantly, the National Finance Commission (NFC) award.

In Pakistan, the weightage for population in the distribution of resources is 80 percent, while in India, it is only 15 percent, the official added. As a result, many people are trying to show an inAcrease in their population, makAing the census a tool for politics.

To make the census more acAceptable, the official suggested delinking population from the NFC award. The census is used for policy planning worldwide, but in Pakistan, it is being used as a tool for politics, which could jeopardize the country's future, the official warned.

While the PBS designed and architected the digital census, provincial and district governAments and census teams were the main implementers. The official explained that provincial governAments were responsible for the execution of Census Field OperaAtions, and blaming the bureau for the shortcomings of the provinAcial governments made no sense.

To enhance the credibility of the process, provincial governAments and relevant stakeholdAers, including DCs/ACs, were given access to role: based dashboards linked with GIS for monitoring fieldwork and enAsuring complete coverage.

The official noted that PBS, with the help of a digital sysAtem...