Sindhi people reject "manipulated" digital population census

London [UK], August 25 (ANI): Calling the digital census "digital fraud," the World Sindhi Congress said that people have rejected it as this is based on fraud and manipulation in complete disregard of the truth and the legitimate interests of Sindhis.
In a seminar, held on August 21, the speakers discussed various aspects of digital census 2023 and its impacts and implications for Sindhi people, according to the statement released by World Sindhi Congress. 
The panel included Naseer Memon, a renowned development professional, Khalique Junejo, Chairman Jeay Sindh Mahaz (J), Bakhshal Thalho, President Awami Workers Party, Inam Bhatti of Sindh United Party, Mumtaz Bukhari, a renowned journalist, Masroor Shah, President Awami Jamhori Party and Lakhu Luhana of World Sindhi Congress.
The speakers said that the population census process in Pakistan has always been riddled with inconsistencies and manipulation of the figures subservient to the demographic interests of the dominant nation and to the political and economic interests of the groups that the establishment wants to please for various reasons.
The fraud could be exposed if a reputable international firm forensically audits the data. The speakers said that Sindhi people have genuine concerns that the current census results will further accelerate the demographic engineering of Sindh.
The speakers in the panel suggested that the only way left for the Sindhi people is to launch a political movement on the ground and on the international front to stop this grave injustice that will severely undermine the political, economic, historical, and cultural rights of the Sindhi people. They also demanded that a new census under international observers should be carried out to bring credibility to the process and the results, the statement read.
Providing the historical context, the speakers said that demographic engineering in Sindh has always been a key objective of the rulers of Pakistan in order not to only grab its resources, lands and jobs but convert Sindhis into a minority in their own motherland to end their right to rule. The process started with the inception of Pakistan when 20 per cent of the Sindhi population was forced to leave. The engineering has continued since with tacit and implicit support and force and the situation is that Sindh has experienced the largest demographic shift not only in Pakistan but in the entire subcontinent since the partition.
The speakers said that the digital census is in fact a digital fraud. The terms of the reference were flawed, and the condition of the identity card was not included, even though it was inducted after the criticism, it was not made mandatory. It is all a manipulation of data, which is very easy to do if the data is digital.
Officially the census closed on May 16 and the official announced results showed the total Sindh population as 57.5 million and within it Karachi division as 19 million. However, the revised results on August 5 showed the population of Sindh reduced to 55.69 million and within it, Karachi's population increased to 20.5 million. So, the population of divisions, except Karachi, was reduced by 3.3 million and Karachi was increased by 1.5 million.
The huge changes to the numbers are unexplained and incomprehensible.  Within Karachi, the population did not increase in all seven districts but only in the four most congested districts where MQM holds its vote, as per the statement.
It is widely believed the changes were made to please the MQM to continue its support for the government in power desperately needed to continue its rule. Surprisingly, the overall percentage population of provinces remained exactly the same as in 2017, keeping Punjab in the majority over Sindh, Balochistan and Pakhtunkhwa combined. (ANI)