PESHAWAR, March 16: In keeping with the government’s decision of making the 1998 census as basis for marking electoral boundaries, the NWFP’s central and northern regions are set to have their representation in the provincial assembly increased.

The total number of general seats in the provincial assembly has increased from 80 to 99 in line with a federal government notification.

Officials talked to by this correspondent believed that as delimitation of the provincial and national assemblies’ constituencies would be carried out on the basis of population, with 1998 census serving as the baseline, the NWFP’s northern and central regions would share the maximum number of general seats.

“A majority of the (newly created) 19 seats would jointly be shared by the two regions,” said senior official sources.

The population in the central NWFP — involving the districts of Peshawar, Charsadda, Nowshera, Mardan, Swabi — recorded an increase by 2.6m during a period of 17 years, rising from 3.8m in 1981 to 6.4m in 1998.

Similarly, the Northern NWFP — comprising the now defunct Malakand and Hazara divisions — also registered an increase by 2.6m in population, from 5.2m in 1981 to 7.8m in 1998.

The southern belt of NWFP, comprising the now defunct Bannu, Kohat and Dera Ismail Khan divisions, posted a rise of 1.5m in population over a period of 17 years, from 2.1m in 1981 to 3.6m in 1998.

The Peshawar-based officials of the Election Commission told this correspondent that they had not yet been given the district-wise list of provincial assembly seats in line with the new arrangement (involving 99 general seats instead of the previous 80).

“Everything is being done in Islamabad,” said a senior officer when asked about the number of provincial assembly seats every district would have under the new arrangement.

They also expressed their ignorance about the number of provincial assembly seats that would be allocated to Fata.

“We have not yet been informed of anything in black and white on this subject,” said an official concerned.