Has the census team visited your home? Here's what to expect

Social media is abuzz with users' population census tales, reservations and observations.

Interactive Desk Published April 10, 2017

The population census of Pakistan is currently underway, and citizens cannot help but tweet and post about their experiences.

The census will divulge important information on the demographics of Pakistan, so officials ask a variety of questions so data collectors can measure migration, employment trends, urbanisation, gender configuration, education rates and more since the last census was held in 1998.

Tell us about your interaction with the census team by writing to features@dawn.com

Here are some #CensusStories:

Raiding the streets

George Fulton

"I thought I was being raided this morning as I opened the door to two soldiers in full camouflage uniform, webbing and holding machine guns. Only for a little, old lady to emerge from behind them to ask for my name and NIC number. Census is in action!"

Army and enumerators enter the narrowest of lanes to take details for the census - Photo credit: AFP

Provision for disabled persons

Armana Shah

"The census team [just came] again to fill the form and they entered my son's name as a normal person who is a special person (physically disabled). I asked them to enter him as a physically disabled person but the woman said she has no separate column for disabled persons. I said yes I know you are using 20 year old forms, but the Supreme Court has ordered to enter disable persons separately in the form. Again, she refused and said she is told by the seniors to enter only for transgender. But, I insisted to enter his name as a physically disabled person and then she called her senior who told her to write in the gender column.

No 3 for Transgenders

No 4 for Physically disabled man

No 5 for Physically disabled woman

Kindly tell your friends and families if they have a disabled person ask the census team to enter them as a disabled person not a normal person. So that in future hopefully they could get some facilities from the government.

Thank you."

Back to the future

Syed Shahzaman Shah

"Are we in 2017, or am I confused? Argument between these two is going on about pen or pencil, which is nonsense I think. With 3G/4G available in most places in Pakistan can't we do census by giving tablet/mobile devices to enumerators and have real-time transparent demographic updates. Does anyone know how it is done in developed countries?"

Head of the house

Nighat Dad

"Census team: Please call head of the house.

Me: I am head of the house.

Census team: No we meant, 'send a man, your husband? Or father or brother.

Me: Umm I am head of the house.

Census team: Ugh acha...how do you run the house?

Me: I am a lawyer and have my own organisation.

Census team: Lawyer of High Court?

Me: Yes.

Census team: Madam my case is pending in Lahore High Court, can you please help me in dealing with that, my lawyer doesn't follow what I say.

Me: Jee. Take my number and call me later.

End of conversation."

Me With My #Census Security Team During Census Duty..

A post shared by Waseem Sajjad (@waseem9261) on Mar 16, 2017 at 12:09am PDT

I'd rather be the 'other'

Nosheen Ali

"Mardamshumari [census] tales

Aap ki madri zaban - Urdu [Your mother tongue - Urdu]

Proceeds to check “1”.

Nahin, Gujrati [No, Gujrati]

Hain?! Aap ke aas paas bhi sab ne Urdu hi likhwai hai [Really? Everyone in your neighbourhood said Urdu]

Nahin, Gujrati [No, Gujrati]

Lekin aap ghar main kia bolti hain? [But, what do you speak in your home?]

I don’t say: Urdu-hegemonic state was intolerant towards other languages and there was little support so my parents switched rather unsuccessfully and I learnt some combination.

Aap Gujrati likhain [Write down Gujrati]

Acchaa..yahan ‘Deegar’ par tick lagana hoga? [Alright, we’ll have to tick ‘other’]

Ji [Yes]

Proceeds to cancel Urdu and checks “Other”.

#countalllanguages #ifyoudontcountthem #idratherbeother."

From the Twitterverse

What is your #CensusStory? Tell us about your interaction with the census team by writing to features@dawn.com

When census officials came to my home, they didn’t know what a Parsi was

Population census 2017: Why this extensive exercise will be defective

Census will be completed at all costs, vows General Bajwa

Comments (13) Closed

SYed ANJum ali

Apr 12, 2017 06:20am

We had a very positive interaction with our census team. They were polite, well trained and up to date and during both their visits (first for house/block census then for peoples) dealt very efficiently and thoroughly and were soon finished. Both the civilian official (a school teacher) and the army jawan worked smoothly together. Sadly, some locals in our neighborhood (ulta Islamic types) were rather rude and uncooperative and I believe did not present full or truthful information. It is hard for census teams to work in such an atmosphere of preconceived negativity. A sizable number of Pakistanis seem to have hostile attitudes, as with polio teams also. Until these attitudes change, nothing can really be achieved.

Recommend 0

zahid khan

Apr 12, 2017 07:11am

I will request to all of my country fellows kindly provide true information whatever is written on the census form.This census is very important information regarding making government policy about the future trends.This census should be conducted at the interval of 10 years but unfortunately, it did not conduct on time due to my reasons.In many developed countries, we can get this census figures even for eighteen century such as the USA.

Recommend 0

Afshan Javaid

Apr 12, 2017 09:22am

When the census team come to our house nobody was home because all of us either work or attend college. They never came back, neither did they leave forms we could fill and submit. I'm wondering how many working people will be lucky enough to be counted in the census.

Recommend 0

riz

Apr 12, 2017 09:46am

totally agree with,, we must tick what is our real language,, don't fool yourself by putting someotehr language., like her Gujrati, Dhatki, Memni, Thari, all must put others so that next time we have more language columns as well,, do not put language which you don't have,,, respect your mother tongue and register it correctly.,,

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NKAli

Apr 12, 2017 10:10am

We got lucky! They were two men, one elderly and the other a Ranger who was middle-aged. A point I made at the outset was that if you people are going to talk as if you own the world, then my reply will be "Go home." Let me add, they were polite and concerned themselves with the details on the CNIC. Salams

Recommend 0

EkDoTeen

Apr 12, 2017 10:23am

LOL. That gave me a good laugh.

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Pakistani

Apr 12, 2017 12:13pm

Hahha. This is so hysterical. Specially the judgement nod from LEAs

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HOPistan Jack

Apr 12, 2017 04:45pm

The article was good for a couple of laughs, but let's get serious for a minute here. The census is being conducted today the same way it was decades ago, manually by hand with door to door visits. Shows how far behind Pakistan is in this world in both technology and education. Sad to say, but there is not one single intuitive thought in the Pakistani society. I have travelled all across the globe, but I have yet to see such backwardness anywhere else. It's sad what Pakistan has become.

Recommend 0

Nasser

Apr 12, 2017 05:39pm

Same old story; ill-trained staff, no set procedures leading to out-dated and incorrect questioning (such as a woman cannot be treated as a head of the house), the incapacity to move with the times and falling sharply behind other nations as technology is not being used to obtain information which is accurate and complete. The whole object of the exercise is lost; mostly the allocation of national, provinicial, district, etc funds as accurately as possible and ensuring that the electorate represents the election areas correctly. Finally, the lack of co-operation, the tendency for providing inaccurate information, etc on the part of the public is another factor which puts a big question mark on the whole process, extremely important though it is.

Recommend 0

seeker

Apr 12, 2017 05:43pm

No big problems, at least nothing that cannot be addressed with good primary education and inclusive, open-minded government policies. If we start now, then perhaps 10 years down, next census will be of acceptable level.

Recommend 0

NUHAMMAD

Apr 12, 2017 05:47pm

Hahaha. I really enjoyed it. However its sad that we are so male dominated that the census guy had trouble in accepting the fact that a woman can be the head as well plus I really dont understand as to why our govt when spending so much money and energy is not gathering proper and complete info on religion and language. They should have ideally have had an empty box instead of 'other' where one could have put whatever his/her mother tongue is. My mother tongue is Urdu but its sad to see that census ppl just image stuff instead of asking u what it is.

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shazia

Apr 13, 2017 03:16am

they came to my house. I told them my husband is abroad with my kids. So this is my winter home. He said is everything ok with you and bhai saab? It was cute.

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concerned

Apr 13, 2017 09:32am

I recommend downloading the form from their website and filling it yourself first. They can just copy. Saves them a lot of work.

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