PPP petition on census: SHC issues notices to federal, Sindh governments

Sindh High Court (SHC) on Friday issued notices to federal and Sindh governments for April 3, on a petition filed by Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) challenging the procedure of the ongoing population census. A division bench of the SHC was hearing the petition. PPP counsel Farooq H Naek appeared before the bench and took the plea that the procedure adopted for the census was aimed at showing the population of Sindh less.
He contended that the procedure was in clear violation of Article 2, 4 and 19 of the Constitution. The court inquired from the PPP counsel whether the matter was of a dispute between the centre and Sindh province. Naek replied in negative, saying that the matter was not about dispute between Sindh and centre. He told the court that the PPP had challenged the criteria to keep the information about the census secret.
He submitted that the procedure adopted for the census was not fair and transparent. The counsel alleged that an attempt was being made to show the population of the old inhabitants of the province less. The court while directing Naek to advance arguments on the maintainability of the petition in the next date of hearing issued notices to federal and Sindh government for April 3.
It is to be mentioned here that Secretary General PPPP Farhatullah Baber had filed the petition challenging the procedures put in place during the ongoing census. The petitioner had also pleaded the court to direct the government to disclose all data collected during the process. The petitioner named federal government, as well as other parties, as respondents.