Pakistan

PM Shehbaz directs redressal of MQM-P reservations over census

Published

2 years ago

Farwa

Party shares concerns about ongoing census.
It also informs premier about Karachi’s issues.
MQM-P has demanded fresh, impartial census.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif Wednesday issued directives to relevant authorities to resolve the concerns and issues of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) over the ongoing census.

In a statement released by the PM Office, the development came during a meeting between the premier and MQM-P delegation — comprising Convener Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui and Information Technology and Telecommunication Minister Syed Aminul Haque — while Minister for Economic Affairs Sardar Ayaz Sadiq was also present.

During the meeting, the MQM-P delegation congratulated the prime minister for the legislation of the Supreme Court (Practice and Procedure) Bill, 2023, the statement read.

The delegation shared their reservations with the prime minister regarding the ongoing digital census in Pakistan and also informed him about the issues in Karachi.

A day earlier, MQM-P senior leader Farooq Sattar rejected the ongoing first-ever digital census — which is the seventh national census in the country — being conducted by the Sindh government employees.

The party’s decision came days after Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) chief statistician Dr Naeem Uz Zafar said that “it is not necessary that Karachi’s population will show as 30 million” after the census.

Sattar expressed fears that a plan has been devised to show less population than the actual headcount of Sindh’s urban areas.

“46% of the population in Karachi has been counted,” he said, adding that it seemed that the total population of the metropolis would be shown around 20 million in the census.

The MQM-P leader also demanded a fresh census conducted by an impartial and private sector company. He also asked for access to the census data.

According to PBS chief statistician, about 60% of Pakistan has been enumerated in the ongoing country’s seventh population and house count.

This is the first time the country’s population is being counted digitally. The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and MQM-P have time and again raised concerns over the population count in the port city.

Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, a part of the incumbent government himself, had threatened to quit the ruling alliance and said that Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah had grave concerns over the ongoing census.

Latest News

SCO Summit Preparations: Interior Minister Examines SCO Summit Arrangements

Published

2 days ago

Farwa

The preparations for the Shanghai Corporation Organization Summit, which will take place in Islamabad next week, were reviewed by Federal Minister of the Interior Mohsin Naqvi during his tour of the Federal Capital.

D-Chowk, Constitution Avenue, Murree Road, and the Islamabad Expressway were all thoroughly inspected by Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi.

The Minister gave the authorities instructions regarding the optimal setup for the next summit after reviewing the refurbishment and cleaning plans for the SCO Summit.

The minister stated that while ensuring that all of Islamabad is clean, particularly the VVIP routes and the red area, the construction and restoration projects should be finished as quickly as feasible.

Mohsin Naqvi stated that the SCO Summit will showcase Islamabad’s natural beauty on this particular occasion.

Latest News

Elahi Bakhsh Soomro Dies; Karachi Will Hold Funeral Prayer Today

Published

2 days ago

Farwa

After a lengthy illness, Elahi Bakhsh Soomro, the former Speaker of the National Assembly, passed away. At ninety-eight years old.

Today at 1:00 PM in Karachi, there will be a funeral prayer for him.

In the Jacobabad District of Sindh, Soomro was born in 1926. He was a member of the Shikarpur-based Soomro family, who for a long time dominated Sindh. He was the brother of Ahmad Mian Soomro and the son of Maula Bakhsh Soomro. His degree is in engineering.

The federal minister is now Elahi Bakhsh Soomro. In 1985, he was elected without opposition to the national legislature.

He was elected as a Member of Parliament for the Pakistan Muslim League in the 1990 and 1997 elections. Additionally, he was repeatedly elected to the Senate at various points in time.

Latest News

SIFC Supports Shanxi Coal Initiative: China to Finance Coal-to-Chemicals Project in Pakistan

Published

2 days ago

Farwa

The Shanxi Coal and Chemical Industry Group of China intends to invest in technologies for the production of chemicals derived from coal reserves in Sindh, Pakistan. This project, supported by the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC), seeks to improve collaboration between Pakistan and China in energy and industrial advancement.

Shanxi Coal and Chemical, one of China’s major state-owned firms, has made substantial investments in the coal and energy sectors. This project illustrates the increasing cooperation between the two nations.

Pakistan aims to fulfill its energy requirements by augmenting coal-fired production, thereby lowering electricity generation expenses. Petroleum Minister Musadik Malik stated that “Pakistan possesses extensive coal reserves, and this initiative demonstrates our dedication to the effective utilization of our natural resources.”

Pakistan now extracts roughly 7.6 million tons of coal annually from the Thar region, with intentions to augment this to 11 million tons within three years. The efficient utilization of these resources can stabilize the nation’s economy.