ISLAMABAD            -         The PTI government is making all-out efforts to evolve consensus over the provisional results of 6th population census in order to unanimously approve it in the Council of Common Interests (CCI).

The government side, before the upcoming CCI meeting, would try to convince all the provinces including Sindh to approve the provisional results of census.

The government in recently held meeting of CCI [ other day Monday] once again failed to dispose of important agenda item related to the formally notification on 6th population census. The government side will try to address reservations of Sindh province on this matter to resolve long-due matter.

Minister for Inter-Provincial Coordination (IPC) Dr Fehmida Mirza shared this with The Nation here yesterday.

The CCI meeting, held other day [Monday], could not dispose of the agenda related to the notification of 6th population census due to the long list of the agenda. The meeting, chaired by Prime Minister, disposed of 15 items but deferred the population census item.

Pakistan’s current total population, according to the conducted population census, has touched 207.744520 million with an average annual growth rate of 2.4 percent from calendar year 1998.

Pakistan’s current total population, according to the recently conducted population census, is around 207.744520 million. According to the provisional summary results of the census, this population number included 132,189,531 rural and 75,584,989 urban population, showing an overall population growth at 57 percent during the period 1998-2017.

The provisional figures recorded in the census showed 2.23 percent growth in rural areas and 2.7 percent in urban areas during these years as the male population at present stands at 106,449,322 with the female population at 101,314,780, and the population of transgender at 10,418.

The provisional results of population census were not accepted by the major political factions mainly from Sindh province area [PPP-P and MQM-P]. Both the PPP and MQM-P had expressed dissatisfaction over the provisional results of 6th population census.

The MQM-P, in the previous government era had also submitted a resolution stating that the data released — as it stands — will “not facilitate” the fair distribution of funds in the provinces.

Keeping in view the soaring population 207.744520 million, with an average annual growth rate of 2.4 percent from calendar year 1998, a suggestion was floated to impose ‘tax’ on family members for violation of country’s family planning formula. However, it could not be materialized.