ISLAMABAD: The fiel­d­work for the country’s first-ever digital census has now been completed, the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) annou­nced on Tuesday.

The Seventh Population and Housing Census, which commenced on March 1, concluded on May 15, after its deadline was extended five times.

An official announcement by the PBS said that a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif decided to immediately close the field operation.

“Now, the process of verification and validation to ensure complete coverage will be completed within 15 days,” the statement added.

The meeting decided that all district officers would provide completion certificates after which payment to field staff would be made.

It also deci­d­­ed that complaints of non-coverage would be entertai­n­­ed by the PBS. Citizens can register their complaints on 0800-57574 till May 30, af­­ter providing CNIC number and requisite data.

A committee of reno­w­n­­ed demographers has been constituted to analyse the data and point out trends.Nadra and Suparco will assist the demographers by carrying out the forensic audit for rectification of under- or over-reporting.

Published in Dawn, May 17th, 2023

Opinion

Editorial

Pathways to peace
Updated 27 Apr, 2026

Pathways to peace

NEGOTIATIONS to hammer out the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement took nearly two years before a breakthrough was achieved....
Food-insecure nation
27 Apr, 2026

Food-insecure nation

A NEW UN-backed report has listed Pakistan among 10 countries where acute food insecurity is most concentrated. This...
Migration toll
27 Apr, 2026

Migration toll

THE world should not be deceived by a global migration count lower than the highest annual statistics on record —...
Immunity gap
Updated 26 Apr, 2026

Immunity gap

Pakistan’s Big Catch-Up campaign showed progress but also exposed the scale of gaps in routine immunisation.
Danger on repeat
26 Apr, 2026

Danger on repeat

DISASTERS have typically been framed as acts of nature. Of late, they look increasingly like tests of preparedness...
Loose lips
26 Apr, 2026

Loose lips

PAKISTANIS have by now gained something of an international reputation for their gallows humour, but it seems that...