CCI approves official release of census results

ISLAMABAD (92 News) - A meeting of the Council of Common Interests (CCI) chaired by Prime Minister Imran Khan has approved the official release of census results of 2017 data on Monday.

This was announced by Federal Minister for Planning Asad Umar while addressing a press conference after the CCI meeting. He also said that the CCI meeting also decided to conduct a fresh population census across the country.

The minister said that the majority of the provinces have agreed to accept the result of the 2017-Census and the CCI has decided to publish the official results.

"Since elections are held on the basis of the census, we will begin preparations for the next census in September or October this year," Asad Umar said, adding that work on the basic structure of carrying out census will be completed within six to eight weeks.

"The new census will begin in September or October and will be completed by March 2023," Asad Umar maintained.

He added that for the upcoming census — which will take 18 months to complete — the government will use technology as well as the principles related to the census laid out by the United Nations.

During the meeting, the chief ministers of Balochistan, Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa voted in favor of the census while the Chief Minister of Sindh voted against it.