ISLAMABAD - Finance Minister Ishaq Dar announced on Sunday that the federal budget for the year 2017-2018 would be presented on May 26th before the parliament.

He said that in consideration of the month of Ramazan, the government had decided to present the budget earlier in the parliament.

Dar, while addressing a press conference here also said that all-out efforts were being made to ensure transparency and credibility of the 6th population and housing census being held under the supervision of Pakistan Army. He  said that population and housing census had been completed in half of the country during the first phase, and the second phase of the 6th census would begin from April 25th.

The first phase had been completed in 63 districts and the second phase would start on April 25th and continue till May 25th, Dar said,.

Dar, flanked by Chief Census Commissioner Asif Bajwa, said that that efforts were being made to ensure transparency and credibility of ongoing population and housing census being held under the supervision of Pakistan Army.

Dar said that the information and data gathered through the census exercise would be made public after two months of the completion of the second phase.

He said that in 1998, it was also the Pakistan Muslim League government that had conducted the population census and again the credit goes to the PML leadership for holding the 6th national census.

The finance minister said that census was due in 2011 but due to “a controversy” it did not happen.

Again in 2016 it was decided to conduct the census, but due to the Operation Zarb-e-Azb it was postponed, the minister said.

Dar said that the government had announced compensation for the heirs of those who were martyred, while performing their census duties.

He said that during the first phase, around half of the country’s population and families had been counted.

Around 172,000 enumerators took part in the first phase.

Dar confirmed that he had received a letter from Sindh’s chief minister expressing his reservations on the census.

However, his reservations had been addressed, he maintained.

The minister made it clear that the census results could not be changed according to anyone’s desires.

The chief census commissioner said that out of Rs18.5 billion budget for the census, Rs6 billion each were allocated for the army and the civilian staff and Rs6.5 billion were allocated for the vehicles and transportation.

Bajwa said that population and housing census had been completed in 80,702 blocks of 63 districts.

In the second phase, census in 43,950 blocks of 87 districts will be undertaken, he added. 

Replying to a query, Dar said that census in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) would be held in the second phase as had been requested by the parliamentarians from the region.

He said that around 75 per cent internally displaced persons had returned to their homes as the government was extending full assistance to them, including transportation charges.

To another query regarding Awaran and Kech districts of Balochistan, where census was postponed during first phase due to law and order situation, the minister said census would also be carried out in those districts.

He said that all the expenses on the census exercise were being incurred under the set rules.

Due to the country’s security situation, deployment of army personnel was necessary for smooth census operation, Dar added.

Replying to another query, the minister said six teams of international observers, who were monitoring the census, had expressed their satisfaction over its credibility and transparency.