The upcoming general elections in the country are likely to be delayed by three to four months following the endorsement of the 2023 census during a Council of Common Interest (CCI) meeting in Islamabad on Saturday, a private TV channel reported. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif chaired the 50th meeting of the CCI in which the approval was given after detailed consultation and decision-making. The four provincial ministers and the representatives of all political parties completely agreed with the results of the census. Dr Khalid Magsi of Balochistan Awami Party, Syed Aminul Haque of Muttahida Qaumi Movement, Maulana Asad Mehmood of Jamiat Ulema e Islam and Qamar Zaman Kaira of Pakistan Peoples Party besides the members of CCI attended the meeting on special invitation. The prime minister in his remarks said the Council of Common Interests was an important constitutional institution for strengthening the federation. He said the first digital census in Pakistan was completed in the best manner which was a good step for the country. The provincial governments and the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics played an important role in this very vital national responsibility, he added. He said all national institutions and provincial governments should take emergency steps to stop the increase in population. “The limited resources of the country are insufficient for the rising population. If the population increased by the same rate, then despite our best efforts, poverty and unemployment will increase in Pakistan.” “So in order to secure our future, we have to take steps to stop population growth and to ensure progress and prosperity of the present population,” he stressed. The PM said Federal Minister for Planning Ahsan Iqbal, officers of the ministry and especially the Statistics Bureau and those personnel who went from home to home for data entry and made the digital census successful were appreciable. The officials of the Ministry of Planning and Pakistan Bureau of Statistics gave detailed briefing about the results of the census and the methodology used in it. According to the 7th census the total population of Pakistan was 241.49 million and the annual population growth was at 2.55. The population growth in Balochistan was more than other provinces at 3.2 percent. The prime minister said in the last six years the population grew by 3.5 crore which was a matter of concern as the rate of population growth was more than the economic growth of Pakistan. The rise in population created different kinds of difficulties for people and it would be a huge challenge for the next elected government of Pakistan and in the future, he added. “We not only have to stop the increase in population but would have to enhance economic growth to overcome various challenges,” he remarked. The meeting was told that the census was carried out by a census advisory committee which comprised prominent experts and it was headed by the Deputy Chairman Planning Commission, who as president of the committee gave approval for the establishment of census monitoring committee and census advisory committee. For the first time in the history of the country, all stakeholders including provincial representatives were included in the census monitoring committee. It was told that for the digital census, National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) provided software and 126,000 tablets, National Telecom Corporation (NTC) gave data infrastructure and facilities of storage and computing while SUPARCO provided digital maps of the satellite in real time. The provincial governments provided 121,000 personnel for conducting census while the armed forces and law enforcement agencies ensured security for the personnel who were collecting data. The meeting was told that on the recommendation of census advisory committee, the CCI included all stakeholders in the process of census from the very first day.