The much-anticipated first meeting of the Council of Common Interests (CCI) has unanimously approved the digital census, it has been learnt from sources.
Under the new digital census, sources said, the country’s population has reached 241 million, the meeting was briefed.
It was further told that the annual population growth is 2.55%, while the highest growth was reported in Balochistan.
The lowest growth was registered in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the CCI meeting was briefed.
As per the official results of the new digital census obtained by SAMAA TV, the total population of Pakistan has been recorded at 241.4 million, while the annual population growth was 2.55%.
The total population of Punjab province was recorded 127.6 million, as per the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics.
The population of Sindh was recorded at 55.6 million, that of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa more than 40 million, Balochistan 14.8 million, and Islamabad 2.36 million.
The annual growth rate of the population of Punjab was record at 2.53%, Sindh 2.57%, Balochistan 3.20%, KP 2.38%, and Islamabad 2.81%, as per the documents.
The rural population of Pakistan was recorded at 61.18%, while the urban population rate was 38.82%, the documents stated.
Earlier it was reported that the meeting concluded without a decisive verdict on whether the upcoming elections will be based on the 2017 census or a freshly conducted one this year.
The high-level huddle, chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, delved into the implications of adopting a new digital census methodology.
Sources privy to the matter said dignitaries from various provinces and federal ministries converged to address this critical matter.
Among those in attendance were Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, caretaker Chief Ministers of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab, Federal Minister Ahsan Iqbal, Railway Minister Khawaja Saad Rafiq, Federal Minister Naveed Qamar, and Federal Secretaries representing relevant ministries.
However, the proceedings faced a hiccup as Balochistan’s Chief Minister flight delay hindered his presence at the momentous meeting.
During the session, the Ministry of Planning took the stage to brief the Council on Common Interests about the proposed Digital Census and presented the findings from both the Digital Census and Household Census.
Sources also revealed that the contentious issue of census approval saw participants engaging in thorough discussions, yet an outright consensus remained elusive.
Chief Minister Sindh expressed his approval for the census, and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) granted the authority of the census to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, leaving the final approval pending Chief Minister Balochistan’s arrival.
Consequently, the matter was adjourned to await the input of the absent dignitary.
