Digital census: Karachiites won’t accept ‘any more deception’: JI leader

KARACHI: Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Karachi Ameer Engr Hafiz Naeemur Rehman has warned that results of the ongoing census will be rejected if Karachiites are not counted in full.

The JI Karachi leader expressed these views while addressing a press conference. He was flanked by JI leaders Raja Arif Sultan, Zahid Askari, Imran Shahid and others.

Speaking on the occasion, he highlighted that according to some media reports, the census showed inverse growth in the population of Karachi and made it clear that Karachiites will not accept any more deception in the name of digital census.

The only acceptable solution to this problem was provision of access for citizens to the data of the census; he said and urged the government to constitute a committee comprising stakeholders of the city in order to ensure transparency in the process of census.

He dubbed the flaws in the census as a conspiracy to ambush on rights of Karachi and Karachiites. The JI leader further said that Karachiites are being underreported in order to usurp the rights of the people living in the mega city.

He added that under reported statistics of headcount will be translating into less quota for water and other natural resources as well as development funds and schemes.

The feudal lord mindset in the ruling elite belongs to interior areas of the Sindh province so they want to siphon resources to the pool from where they can plunder them, he said, adding that the mindset prevails in the class that has powers to influence the census.

He said that Karachi provides the lifeline for the entire country. He said that the economic nerve of the country — Karachi — contributes in exports by 54 percent, in the national exchequer by 67 and in the budget for the Sindh province by 95 percent but the rights of the city itself are usurped and nobody in the corridors of powers care about it.

Talking about the last phase for the local government elections in the remaining 11 union councils, he said that the Election Commission of Pakistan has become a facilitator for the ruling Pakistan People Party in Sindh.

He vowed that despite all nefarious tactics employed by the PPP, the JI will form government in Karachi.

He also lambasted the PPP government in Sindh over its failure to curb the skyrocketing street crimes in the city.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023