REPORTS indicate that the prime minister has given the go-ahead for the much-delayed sixth census. Considering the numerous problems that arise when evolving a framework for governance and planning without reliable data, the decision must be welcomed. It is essential that Pakistan has a proper database of its population not only to ensure equitable distribution of the country’s resources, but also to enable proper representation in the legislatures. The census is a constitutional requirement and has political implications. Constituencies are delimited on the basis of population while seats for the National Assembly and the provincial legislatures are also allocated on the same basis. This affects both inter- and intra-provincial dynamics. Internal migration is substantial, which means the demographic position that existed in 1998, when the last head count was conducted, has changed considerably and must be reflected in official data. Because of internal population shifts due to various reasons, the number of seats allocated to the provinces in the National Assembly as well as the number of seats each district gets within the provincial legislatures is affected. Should such essential requirements of democracy be governed by guesswork?

A house-listing exercise, considered the preliminary step of the census, was abandoned halfway in 2011 as some political parties raised questions about the credibility of the process. We hope the same mistakes — resulting in a huge waste of time, effort and money — are not repeated this time around and the process is more transparent. Details of the census are to be finalised in the next meeting of the Council of Common Interest. Hopefully the CCI will meet soon and any contentious issues between the federation and the provinces, or among the provinces themselves, will be discussed and sorted out so that the census is not delayed indefinitely. Security remains an issue, especially in areas such as Fata, Balochistan and parts of Karachi. The state must plan accordingly and ensure the enumerators have adequate security where it is needed. Pakistan’s rulers, political parties and people must all accept the demographic realities of the country and the census must not be put on the back burner to protect vested interests.