ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: The Spokesperson of Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) Habibullah Khattak said Tuesday that misinformation and non cooperative behavior during the process of census 2017 will lead towards the immediate penalty of 50,000 Rs and imprisonment of six months.
Talking to PTV News, Habibullah Khattak said deployed officers of Pakistan Army will hold the powers of Magistrate and can fine the guilty without any delay.
“0.2 million army personnel will perform their duties in conducting census exercise and one army man would be engaged with an enumerator”, he informed.
He said that census is being conducted after a gap of 19 years, as the last time it was conducted in 1998.
He further said that population census is important, as distribution of resources among federal government and provinces under National Finance Commission (NFC) award and numbers of seats in National Assembly and provincial assemblies are on the basis of census.
To a question about overseas Pakistanis, he said those Pakistanis would be counted who remained present in the country during census exercise.
“A from 2A will be filled on sample basis after census exercise completes in June 2017, which will give details regarding migration, unemployment, fertility and disability,” he added.
The Spokesperson of Pakistan Bureau Statistics said that training of all masters has completed and training of army personnel is underway.
He said that March 18 has been fixed as reference day and whosoever is present at particular location on that day would be counted for census.
He informed that those Afghan refugees who posses residential permit will also be listed in the records.
Furthermore, Balochistan will be covered fully in phase one while the remaining provinces will be divided into two phases, he said.
He said PBS has appointed 639 enumerators in the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) to undertake the census in 1278 blocks.
