New census could delay Pakistan polls

ISLAMABAD: A normal election in Pakistan due later this 12 months shall be based mostly on a brand new census, a minister mentioned on Saturday, indicating the vote could possibly be delayed and fuelling opposition fears that the federal government goals to delay the current caretaker administration. Law minister Azam Nazeer Tarar advised Geo Information that it may take about 4 months to finish the census and draw new constituency boundaries.

Pakistan’s inhabitants has ballooned to 250 million (25 crore), in keeping with the outcomes of the most recent census revealed Saturday, rising by 35 million in simply six years. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif mentioned the annual progress fee of two.5% offered a “large problem” for the cash-strapped nation. The nation’s first digital census was performed by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics all through Could 2023 .
Sharif has mentioned the approaching election shall be performed on the premise of the most recent census, with the info used to stipulate constituencies. It’s not attainable to finish that course of and maintain the election throughout the constitutionally required deadline, which means the election can’t be held earlier than February subsequent 12 months, he mentioned.

The nation’s nationwide meeting is anticipated to dissolve later this week.