Pak: Nationalist parties threaten protest if govt impose digital census

Rejecting the digital census, various Pakistan's national parties threatened to launch the protest if the federal government tried to impose it, Dawn reported.

The joint meeting was held at the invitation of Riaz Chandio, chief of his own faction of the Jeay Sindh Mahaz-Riaz where they adopted a joint declaration.

The leaders attending the meeting included Hyder Shahani of the Sindh Taraqqi-pasand Party, Ameer Thebo of the Sindh United Party, Altaf Khaskheli of the Qaumi Awami Tehreek, Nawaz Zaunr of the Jeay Sindh Qaumi Party, Javed Rajpar of the Awami Workers Party and others.

Chandio, who chaired the meeting, told journalists that the digital census was unconstitutional, illegal, and anti-Sindh. He said their meeting rejected the census and its modalities while expressing concern over it, reported Dawn.

He further stated that the census was scheduled to be held in 2027 and therefore, it was in conflict with a decision of the Council of Common Interests (CCI).

He criticised the Sindh government's consent for the census and asked the government to desist from it, failing which nationalists would launch a movement.

According to the CCI decision, he said, the census was to be held in the few areas about which complaints were lodged.

He said Rs 50 billion was being spent on the digital census which would not be supervised by a third party and no list of it would be displayed, according to Dawn.

Earlier, the Awami Tehreek party organised a rally against the government's plan to conduct a digital population census in the country. The party demanded that the provincial government impose a ban on the purchase of land by illegal immigrants.

The rally was attended by a large number of people including women, students, lawyers, and writers.

Starting from Regal Chowk in Saddar, the rally culminated outside the Karachi Press Club where the AT leaders including Lal Jawar, Noor Ahmed Katiar, Hoorunissa Palijo, Advocate Sajid Husain Mahesar, Abdul Qadir Ranto, Subhani Dahiri, Dr Dildar Leghari, Atif Malah, Sajida Parhiyar, Advocate Idris Leghari, Haji Khan Samoo, and others addressed the participants.

Several resolutions were also passed on the occasion.

They demanded provincial autonomy under the historic 1940 Pakistan Resolution and urged the Sindh government to pass legislation to impose a ban on the sale/purchase of lands and plots by illegal immigrants in Sindh, reported Dawn.