PESHAWAR: The local political leaders at a seminar here have raised doubts about the results of the nationwide population census and claimed that the recent exercise has reduced the population of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, a move that will slash the province’s National Assembly seats and share in national resources.

They insisted that the province would suffer a loss of Rs2 trillion in the NFC Award.

The event titled ‘National Census 2023 and its impact on Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’ was organised by the Institute of Regional Studies Peshawar.

The speakers, including Jamaat-i-Islami leader and former minister Inayatullah Khan, former MPA Ahmad Khan Kundi of the Pakistan Peoples Party, Awami National Party leader Salahuddin and Dr Mohammad Iqbal Khalil of the Jamaat-i-Islami, said the Council of Common Interest was an incomplete forum and that the caretaker government didn’t have the power to approve census results.

Political leaders claim KP’s population reduced

They said the caretaker governments of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab had violated their mandate and the Constitution by approving census results, while the CCI, too, had no right to approve them.

The speakers urged political forces to raise their voice for the rights of the province.

Mr Inayatullah said census results had caused anxiety among the people of the province.

He said millions of KP residents lived abroad, so the rules should be relaxed to enumerate them.

“The number of families has decreased in several areas. This is incomprehensible,” he said.

The JI leader said the delimitation of the National Assembly constituencies would be done on the basis of population, so KP residents feared that the number of NA seats of the province, especially tribal districts, would go down.

He added that 82 per cent of the NFC Award funds were distributed on the basis of population, while anomalies in the census would cost the province dearly.

PPP leader Kundi said the census was crucial for policymaking and planning as most of the resources were distributed on the basis of population.

He said if results of the recent census were ignored, that act would be tantamount to criminal negligence.

Mr Kundi said he would raise the problem of the province at all available forums.

He said the East Pakistan tragedy happened due to an “imbalance” in population and resources, but unfortunately, those at the helm of affairs didn’t learn anything from it.

ANP leader Salahuddin said KP continued to be subjected to injustices.

He claimed that the province was denied its constitutional rights.

“We [ANP] will not stay silent on this census injustice and discuss it in our working committee and provincial council meetings,” he said.

Published in Dawn, August 11th, 2023