PESHAWAR: The Awami National Party has hailed the Supreme Court’s suo motu notice of delay in the holding of census and said the delicate security situation was no excuse to delay the exercise.

In a statement issued by the Bacha Khan Markaz here on Friday, ANP general secretary Mian Iftikhar Hussain said the Supreme Court had rightly warned the federal government over its failure to hold census in the country.

He said maintaining peace was the responsibility of the federal and provincial governments and security agencies and it was not an excuse not to hold census.

The ANP leader said if the census was not conducted in the country before next general elections, it would be tantamount to depriving smaller provinces of due rights.

He said it was ironic that whenever there was a talk about the holding of census, the government suddenly began using the delicate law and order situation as an excuse to delay it.

Mr. Iftikhar said the Supreme Court’s remarks were enough to prompt the federal government into action on the national issue of census.

He said the federal government should hold census so that smaller provinces, too, could get due share in national resources as promised in the Constitution.

The ANP leader said the delay in the holding of census would create bad blood between smaller provinces and the centre as only one province was benefiting from the situation.

“It all looks like pre-planned,” he said.

Mr. Iftikhar criticised the PTI government in the province saying it has failed to take up the issues regarding the province’s rights with the federal government and just focusing its attention on protests and unnecessary issues.

Published in Dawn, August 27th, 2016

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