KARACHI: The Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) on Saturday expressed serious concerns over the shortage of census staff in the west district and demanded the authorities concerned address the issue which is hindering the smooth process of population count in one of the most populated districts of the city.

MQM-P deputy parliamentary party leader in the Sindh Assembly Ali Khursheedi along with party MPA Sadaqat Hussain held a meeting with Deputy Commissioner-West Ghulam Qadir Talpur at his office and shared their concerns.

A statement issued by the party after the meeting said that the MQM-P legislators briefed the deputy commissioner about the complaints emerging during the census process in the residential areas of the district.

“There’s an immense shortage of the census staff in the district and a significant number of those who have been assigned to carry out the huge exercise remain absent from their duties,” said the statement.

“The number of census staff must be increased on an urgent basis. Similarly, the gadgets being used by the staff often develop some issue and stop working. There are also complaints about internet connectivity in those devices which negatively affect the exercise. A large number of staff also appears untrained.”

The MQM-P legislators, it said, demanded the deputy commissioner to use his office to remove all hurdles to keep the process smooth as they could badly damage the overall scope of the digital census.

Published in Dawn, March 5th 2023