Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court of Pakistan on Thursday came down hard on the federal government over its dilatory tactics in carrying out the much-awaited census. Annoyed at the federal government over delay in finalising the date of the census, the top court said it had no option but to summon the prime minister.

When the top court was informed that census was not a matter of the federation alone, as provinces were also involved in the process, the top court observed that the prime minister should himself state before the bench that a delay in carrying out the census was caused by the provinces.

The top court directed the federal government to assure in written that the census would commence from March 15, 2017. A three-judge bench of the top court, headed by Chief Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali, resumed hearing of a suo motu case over the delay in carrying out census.

Attorney General of Pakistan (AGP) Ashtar Ausaf appeared before the bench and argued that the government was ready to carry out the exercise in 2016, and that delay in this regard was not tantamount to violation of the constitution.

He further argued that matters related to the census were decided by the Council of Common Interest (CCI) and the provinces were part of the council. He said that provinces opined that the activity should be conducted under the supervision of the army.

Justice Amir Hani Muslim, a member of the bench, observed that the government was of the opinion that the census could not be held without the army, and some day the election commission would say that the elections also could not be held without the army.

The chief justice observed that census was one of the fundamentals of the democratic system, and added that the government did not have fair intentions, as “status quo suits all political parties”. He further observed that if census was not held, elections would be nothing more than a joke. He said that there was a huge difference between the population of 1998 and of today. The chief justice remarked that policies were being devised without any record of the exact population of the country.

Justice Amir Hani Muslim asked the attorney general to ensure prime minister’s presence before the bench or submit the exact date of holding the census with the signature of the prime minister.

The attorney general responded by saying that the government was ready to hold census on any date the court gave. The top court then directed the government to commence the population census on March 15, 2017 and conclude it on May 15, 2017. The case has been adjourned until December 7.