JUI-F’s Kamran Murtaza stages walkout protest in Senate over census handling

• He raised concerns about anomalies and alleged a reduction of 6.4 million in Balochistan’s population.
• Mian Raza Rabbani urged the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to communicate and clarify the delimitation process timeframe openly.
• He emphasized completing the exercise within nine days to ensure elections take place within the mandated 90-day period.

During a Senate session, JUI-F member Kamran Murtaza staged a symbolic walkout to protest the government’s approach to the census and population counting methodology.

He raised concerns about anomalies and alleged a reduction of 6.4 million in Balochistan’s population due to the latest digital census.

In response, Minister for Law and Justice Azam Nazeer Tarar defended the census, stating a 3.2 percent population growth, with results subjected to thorough verification.

Minister for Finance and Revenue Ishaq Dar clarified that the census decision was made during the previous PTI government’s tenure, emphasizing the allocation of Rs 34 billion for the process and stressing the need for fact-checking before making claims.

Mian Raza Rabbani urged the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to communicate and clarify the delimitation process timeframe openly. He emphasized completing the exercise within nine days to ensure elections take place within the mandated 90-day period, highlighting any delay as a violation of the constitution.