ISLAMABAD - Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Friday declined to defer the upcoming national population census and house count as demanded by National Party leadership, which is also in coalition with ruling PML-N both at the Centre and Balochistan government.

National Party chief Mir Hasil Khan Bizenjo, who is also holding the portfolio of Federal Minister for Ports and Shipping, along with former chief minister and central leader of the party Dr Abdul Malik Baloch, called on the prime minister and informed him about the opposition of the Baloch nationalist parties on holding of the census in the given circumstances and pressed him to defer the census for the time being.

Sources in the government confirmed to The Nation that Nawaz Sharif refused to halt the exercise of national population census and house court, and shared with them the complexities linked to the issue, particularly the pressure from the apex court in this connection.

Sources further said that Mir Hasil Khan Bizenjo and Dr Abdul Malik informed the prime minister that in the given circumstances the population census would not be reflective of the true demography of the population as vast majority of the Baloch population had migrated to neighbouring districts of the Punjab and Sindh.

Similarly, they expressed their serious reservations over holding of the census till the presence of Afghan refugees in the province, and suggested that the process should be halted till the normalisation of the situation and returning back of the Afghan refugees to their homes for which the government had set a deadline December this year.

Sources said the prime minister made it clear to them that the exercise could not be reversed as they were under the binding direction of the apex court to hold census in the country. They said that the meeting remained inconclusive on the issue and would likely have another round to land at some common ground.

Later, the prime minister also held meeting with Balochistan Chief Minister Nawab Sanaullah Khan Zehri and have his point of view on holding of census.

Chief Minister Sanaullah Zehri also briefed the prime minister on the difficulties they could face in holding population census and agreed to the point of view of the National Party leaders that the exercise would not give the true demographic picture of the province’s population.

Sources said Nawaz Sharif directed the chief minister to hold talks with National Party as well as other Baloch nationalists’ parties to devise some common strategy in this connection.

Sources further informed that National Party leadership was prepared to exploit all options to get the exercise of census halted in the province, including the moving of superior judiciary. Sources said the ruling PML-N would not object if the superior judiciary would defer the holding of population census and house count exercise in Balochistan owing to poor law and order situation and mass displacement of Baloch nationalists due to the unrest in the province.