ISLAMABAD: Muttahida Quami Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) leader Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui has asserted that the federal government accepted the controversial 2017 census results despite MQM’s reservations.
“In the ‘controversial’ census, the population of Sindh’s major cities was shown to be 25 percent less than the actual count,” Khalid Maqbool said while addressing a press conference in Islamabad today (Thursday).
Maqbool Siddiqui further said, “Our doubts related to the inaccuracy of the 2017 census have proven to be true now. We had gone to courts to register our concerns even before the census had begun.”
The comments came a day after the federal cabinet authorised the submission of the Sixth Population and Housing Census 2017 report for the final approval of the Council of Common Interests.
The cabinet also decided to bypass an agreement with the parliamentary leaders of the Senate to correct the highly controversial census 2017 results through a recount of the population in 5% randomly selected population blocks.
In this regard, the MQM leader said, “We had formed a coalition with the government on the basis of the census. Despite MQM’s reservations against the results of the census, the federal government went ahead and approved it.”
“Prime Minister Imran Khan did not fulfil any of his promises with the MQM. Why are we even part of the government, to begin with? Will people have to demand all their rights by taking to the streets?” he questioned.
He also said that the people of Sindh’s urban centres are upset after the government’s decision to accept the inaccurate census results, adding that he fears the move might push people to disassociate themselves from the politics of this country.
“If they cannot count us correctly, how they would give us our rights,” Siddiqui said, adding, “It looks like we are left with no other option but to take to the streets. In Karachi, people younger than the age of 18 were not even counted.”
