Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives, Professor Ahsan Iqbal on Thursday unveiled the “First Ever Digital Census Key Findings Report,” compiled by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS).
The report, which marks a significant milestone for Pakistan, provides comprehensive data crucial for the development of urban and rural areas and effective disaster response.
Addressing a ceremony, the minister highlighted Pakistan’s achievement as the first country in South Asia to conduct a digital census. “The data collected through this census will be instrumental in guiding our development efforts and enhancing our ability to respond to natural calamities,” he stated. The census, mandated by the constitution to be conducted every ten years, faced scrutiny in 2017 when the Sindh government expressed concerns over the results, he said.
So, the new census had to be conducted before 2027, he said, adding, “Work on this new census began after April 2022.”
In a short period, the minister said, over 120,000 individuals were trained to carry out the digital census, following the PBS and the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) developed the necessary software under significant time constraints and pressure. “The results of the census have opened our eyes and reflect a concerted effort,” he remarked.
Ahsan Iqbal acknowledged the support of the armed forces and police, which was critical to the census’s success. Despite initial slow progress due to complications in the fieldwork, the minister said the process was expedited with provincial support.
The consensus of all stakeholders was achieved, and the work was completed with the aid of satellite geo-tagging and imagery provided by the Pakistan Space & Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO). The 7th Digital Census was unanimously approved by the Council of Common Interests (CCI).
Addressing the broader implications, Ahsan Iqbal highlighted the economic challenges faced by Pakistan, adding “Due to economic instability, we are suffering from a lack of resources and have fallen behind globally.” He lamented that Pakistan, once an aid provider to South Korea, now lagged significantly behind in development.
Similarly, he pointed out that while Malaysians used to send their children to Pakistan for higher education, Malaysia has since advanced in education, economy and other fields. He also acknowledged that India and Bangladesh have outperformed Pakistan in all sectors.
“We are not behind them in intelligence and ability,” he asserted. “But if we do not open our eyes, we will not be even counted in the global competition.” He stressed the need for peace, political stability with continuity of policies for at least ten years and fundamental reforms to achieve the required goal of national development and prosperity. “If we do not keep pace with the world, we will become irrelevant,” he warned. As per the findings of the report, Pakistan is the 5th most populous country in the world with a total population of 241.49 million with all the provincial capitals most populous cities.
Karachi is ranked 1st most populous with a population of 20.4 million while the Sindh province’s count stood at 55.70 million, Lahore is the 2nd with 13 million and the Punjab province population counted at 127.69 million, Peshawar stood at 3rd with 4.76 million and the Khyber Pakhtunkhawa’s population was 40.86 million and Quetta ranked 4 with 2.59 million and the Balochistan province population was counted at 14.89 million. While, the federal capital of Islamabad’s population count stood at 2.36 million.
