By Sandra Loyd
Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah: General Elections 2023 to be Based on 2017 Census
ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah on Saturday asserted that the next general elections, scheduled to be held in 2023, will be based on the last census carried out in 2017.
Speaking to a private news channel, the interior minister said that the government has decided not to notify the latest census and the upcoming elections would be held on the basis of 2017 census.
Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) Unsatisfied with New Digital Census
Rana Sanaullah noted that Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) – an ally of the government in the Centre – was unsatisfied with the new digital census as well. “They don’t even accept this new census,” he added.
Consensus on Census Results Needed to Avoid Controversy
The minister stressed that there should be consensus on census results and “any decision in haste could lead to a controversial situation” in the country.
“Developing a consensus on the census so that all parties were confident about it would take time,” he added.
Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal: General Elections 2023 Possibly Held on Old Census Data
A day earlier, Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal said that the general elections 2023 would possibly be held on the old census data.
In a statement, Ahsan Iqbal reiterated that elections will be held at its prescribed time and the prime minister already gave the statement about the election commission’s responsibility to finalize the schedule of the polls.
He added that the general elections would possibly be held on old census data. Iqbal was of the view that delimitations are still pending after the new population census. “If elections are held in October, then it will be conducted on old census data.”
This Article Next General Elections in Pakistan to be Based on 2017 Census: Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah was first Published on World Weekly News
Source: Next General Elections in Pakistan to be Based on 2017 Census: Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah
