KARACHI: The Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) on Monday expressed strong opposition on Monday to the coalition government’s decision to hold elections based on the “outdated” census data.
In a news conference, MQM-P convener Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, whose party is part of the ruling Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) alliance, emphasised that the population of Karachi is approximately 30 million, significantly higher than the 2017 census figure of 14.9 million.
He firmly said that his party would not accept figures lower than this.
Siddiqui vowed to resist the government’s move, following Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah Khan’s announcement that the recently conducted census would not be notified due to concerns about its authenticity.
Khan further explained that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) would require a minimum of four months to complete the delimitation process.
Census exercises are mandated every ten years, but the last census faced controversy, leading to the decision to conduct a fresh exercise to address reservations and carry out a new delimitation process.
However, objections were raised by the Sindh government and MQM-P regarding the enumeration process. They demanded rectification of the flaws and refused to accept the results until those concerns were addressed.
MQM-P, as a key coalition partner, had joined the government on specific conditions, including a “transparent census.”
Expressing their reservations regarding the federal minister’s statement, Siddiqui affirmed that they had consistently taken the right path against injustices and strived to maintain peace in Karachi.
He dismissed the MQM London rally’s impression as a conspiracy, emphasizing that MQM-Pakistan stood by the families of its martyrs and urged people not to contribute to the disruption of the city’s peace.
Siddiqui also highlighted concerns about linguistic discrimination in constituencies, calling for it to be addressed prior to the upcoming elections.
He noted the parliament and the government would conclude in August, highlighting that MQM-Pakistan had made extensive efforts to maintain peace in the city. He pointed out that a transparent and unbiased census was one of their key demands.
He criticized a few dozen individuals who were threatening the city’s peace in the name of MQM-London and called for justice to be served in the urban areas of Sindh, fulfilling the promises made.
