Pakistan census source of fear and hope for minorities
Pakistan census source of fear and hope for minorities
- In the congested Lahore district of Youhanabad, the largest Christian neighbourhood in Pakistan, activist Sajid Christopher says his community looks forward to standing up and being counted.
“The census will benefit us in two ways. Firstly we will be able to know about our exact population as so far there has been only guesswork,” he told AFP.
“Secondly, our representation in parliament will be according to our population as our present representation in the democratic system is based on the census of 1981,” he added.
Fast-growing Pakistan is the sixth most populous country in the world, with an estimated 200 million people, but has not held a census for nearly two decades, despite a constitutional requirement for one every decade.
- In the congested Lahore district of Youhanabad, the largest Christian neighbourhood in Pakistan, activist Sajid Christopher says his community looks forward to standing up and being counted.
“The census will benefit us in two ways. Firstly we will be able to know about our exact population as so far there has been only guesswork,” he told AFP.
“Secondly, our representation in parliament will be according to our population as our present representation in the democratic system is based on the census of 1981,” he added.
Fast-growing Pakistan is the sixth most populous country in the world, with an estimated 200 million people, but has not held a census for nearly two decades, despite a constitutional requirement for one every decade.