Islamabad [Pakistan], Jan. 28 : Pakistan's Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa has authorised the deployment of up to 2,00,000 troops to support the national population census.
"#COAS approves plan to support conduct of 6th Population (and) Housing Census. Upto 200,000 troops will be emp while cont other security resps," tweeted DG ISPR Major General Asif Ghafoor.
The troops will be deployed while continuing other security responsibilities. The population census will yield statistics about internal migration, urbanisation, as well as rural and urban population across the country.
The population data will be used for delimitation of the constituencies of the national and provincial assemblies, a requirement under the constitution.
So far, five censuses have conducted- in 1951, 1961, 1972, 1981 and the last in 1998. It should be carried out after every 10 years as per the Constitution. The sixth Population and Housing Census was due in 2008 but could not materialise due to the law and order situation in the country, a paucity of staff and financial constraints, reports the Dawn.
Source: ANI
