New census might delay Pakistan polls
ISLAMABAD: A common election in Pakistan due later this yr can be based mostly on a brand new census, a minister mentioned on Saturday, indicating the vote may very well be delayed and fuelling opposition fears that the federal government goals to extend the current caretaker administration. Regulation minister Azam Nazeer Tarar advised Geo Information that it might take about 4 months to finish the census and draw new constituency boundaries.
Pakistan’s inhabitants has ballooned to 250 million (25 crore), based on the outcomes of the most recent census revealed Saturday, rising by 35 million in simply six years. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif mentioned the annual development charge of two.5% offered a “huge problem” for the cash-strapped nation. The nation’s first digital census was carried out by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics all through Might 2023 .
Sharif has mentioned the approaching election can be carried out on the idea of the most recent census, with the info used to stipulate constituencies. It’s not doable to finish that course of and maintain the election inside the constitutionally required deadline, which means the election can’t be held earlier than February subsequent yr, he mentioned.
The nation’s nationwide meeting is anticipated to dissolve later this week.
