ISLAMABAD: The government formed a committee to look into "undercounting" in big cities during the ongoing seventh population census yesterday, days after concerns were raised that Karachi's population had been counted incorrectly.

With 95% of the counting completed, Karachi's population was reported to be lower than that counted in the 2017 census, according to local news channel. The metropolis' population has clocked in at 13.9 million, according to the count so far.

According to the previous census, Karachi's population stood at 16 million. However, the figure has remained disputed with political parties claiming that it is inaccurate. Following the concerns about the latest census, which is being conducted digitally for the first time, Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal constituted a committee comprising Secretary Planning Syed Zafar Ali Shah, Chief Census Commissioner Dr Naeem uz Zafar and provincial chief secretaries to look into "undercounting" in major cities and suggest a way to resolve the issue to assure a transparent and credible census field operation.

The meeting was attended by Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, Minister IT Syed Amin ul Haque, PBS  chief census commissioner, secretary planning, National Database and Registration Authority director, National Telecom Corporation managing director, and other stakeholders.

Published in The Daily National Courier, April, 13 2023

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