ISLAMABAD - Pakistan’s Seventh National Census faces numerous stumbling blocks that may lead to several additional weeks of data collection, beyond the original timeline set by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS). Reports indicate that 1,26,000 government servants, primarily science teachers, have been hired as enumerators, and 1,26,000 tablets have been purchased for the census. The budget for the census is 34 billion rupees.
The country has been divided into 185,509 blocks, each containing 250 households. Enumerators are tasked with collecting data from two blocks within one month. Unlike previous censuses, enumerators have not been provided with security officials, resulting in a lack of cooperation from the public. In earlier censuses, each enumerator was accompanied by one police official and one army official. A school teacher from South Waziristan said, “If I work 8 hours a day, it will take me 2-3 months to complete 2 blocks because of hilly terrain in Waziristan.” Another teacher stated, “Enumerators are getting sick because of heavy workload and pressure. The silly software asks illogical questions. Mostly there is no security for enumerators. The progress is slow and having bad impacts on enumerator physical and mental health.”
The NADRA-developed software has been criticized for its weaknesses, prompting several upgrades since the start of the census. A teacher from Pishin noted, “The software is very weak. Children who are younger are also asked about what they do, are they married, and what is their religion. The system should be updated. It is very irritating. All the questions asked about parents are also asked about their children.” Enumerators deployed in Pakistan’s northern areas have argued that March is not an ideal time for the census due to snow in hilly areas and seasonal migration of residents to warmer regions. Flood-affected areas in Sindh and Baluchistan have also presented challenges for enumerators. Security concerns have been raised after a terrorist attack on March 13th in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa left two policemen dead and five injured. FIRs have been registered in response to enumerator misconduct and citizens refusing to provide information. Transporters hired to move enumerators and PBS staff have demanded early payment due to inflation and rising petrol prices. In light of these challenges, the PBS has adjusted its timeline, now stating that data collection will be completed by April 4th, with initial results available from April 30th.
ALI HAMZA
— Ali Hamza is a freelance contributor
