Marginalised, attacked and frequently hit by blasphemy charges, Pakistan's religious minorities are hoping the country's first census since 1998 will be a step towards greater political representation and rights.
In the congested Lahore district of Youhanabad, the largest Christian neighbourhood in the country, activist Sajid Christopher says his community looks forward to standing up and being counted.
“The census will benefit us in two ways. Firstly we will be able to know about our exact population as so far there has been only guesswork,” he told AFP.
“Secondly, our representation in parliament will be according to our population as our present representation in the democratic system is based on the census of 1981,” he added.