Dance
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QUETTA:
Nationalists parties in Balochistan are actively opposing the house-listing census, which they say should be postponed because of security problems, presence of Afghan refugees, and displacement of people from Baloch dominated areas after the military operation in Dera Bugti in 2005, and then last year when the floods hit the province.
Balochistan National Party (BNP) Information Secretary Agha Hassan and senior leader of National Party (NP) said that the government had not initiated the house-listing census in five Baloch districts because of security threats.
They said that as many as 2.1 million Afghan refugees are taking shelter in Balochistan and it is impossible for officials to ensure transparency in such a situation.
Hassan, whose party had boycotted the last general elections, said the law and order situation is going from bad to worse. Therefore, the house-listing census should be stopped until peace is restored.
In a province where thousands of people are listed as missing, mutilated bodies are being found almost daily and a military operation is under way, how one can think about taking part in a census? he argued.
First all the refugees should be repatriated, only then can a fair census be conducted. We, as nationalists do not accept the ongoing census since it is not being conducted in a fair and transparent manner, said Hassan.
Ishaq Baloch from the NP said his party had appealed to people to take part in the initiative, but had some reservations on the current house-listing census because a huge population had been displaced from Nasirabad, Jaffarabad, Sibi and adjoining areas after the floods.
Another 120,000 people were displaced from Dera Bugti during a military operation in 2005, he said.
Baloch insurgent groups had also threatened to carry out attacks on staff on duty for census.
House census in five districts, including Khuzdar, Awaran, Turbat, Panjgur and Mastung, was not initiated due to worsening law and order problems. People from Kech and Gwadar also complained that many teachers had refused to perform census duty, fearing for their life.
The Government of Balochistan had already declared Kahan area of Kohlu and Pelaogh area of Dera Bugti as volatile and deployed heavy contingents of security forces to protect the staff working on the census.
However, a Pakhtun nationalist party Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PMAP) insists on conducting house census. There is a need to create awareness among the people of Balochistan who usually take the census lightly. The parties have to launch a campaign for this, he said.
The house-listing census will work against the Baloch since a large population of the community is nomadic and do not have permanent housing that can be added to their count. The Pakhtun on the other hand will not suffer from the house-listing census because their community has more permanent settlements.
Other Baloch nationalist parties had already opposed the census and asked the people to keep away from the exercise. Balochistan National Party-Awami had filed a petition in Balochistan High Court demanding to postpone the house census immediately.
Joint Census Commissioner Balochistan Abdul Wahab said that the Home Department had identified 11 districts where law and order situation was poor. The exercise is not taking place in five districts where it will be initiated later, he said.
Nationalist parties oppose census in Balochistan – The Express Tribune
Nationalists parties in Balochistan are actively opposing the house-listing census, which they say should be postponed because of security problems, presence of Afghan refugees, and displacement of people from Baloch dominated areas after the military operation in Dera Bugti in 2005, and then last year when the floods hit the province.
Balochistan National Party (BNP) Information Secretary Agha Hassan and senior leader of National Party (NP) said that the government had not initiated the house-listing census in five Baloch districts because of security threats.
They said that as many as 2.1 million Afghan refugees are taking shelter in Balochistan and it is impossible for officials to ensure transparency in such a situation.
Hassan, whose party had boycotted the last general elections, said the law and order situation is going from bad to worse. Therefore, the house-listing census should be stopped until peace is restored.
In a province where thousands of people are listed as missing, mutilated bodies are being found almost daily and a military operation is under way, how one can think about taking part in a census? he argued.
First all the refugees should be repatriated, only then can a fair census be conducted. We, as nationalists do not accept the ongoing census since it is not being conducted in a fair and transparent manner, said Hassan.
Ishaq Baloch from the NP said his party had appealed to people to take part in the initiative, but had some reservations on the current house-listing census because a huge population had been displaced from Nasirabad, Jaffarabad, Sibi and adjoining areas after the floods.
Another 120,000 people were displaced from Dera Bugti during a military operation in 2005, he said.
Baloch insurgent groups had also threatened to carry out attacks on staff on duty for census.
House census in five districts, including Khuzdar, Awaran, Turbat, Panjgur and Mastung, was not initiated due to worsening law and order problems. People from Kech and Gwadar also complained that many teachers had refused to perform census duty, fearing for their life.
The Government of Balochistan had already declared Kahan area of Kohlu and Pelaogh area of Dera Bugti as volatile and deployed heavy contingents of security forces to protect the staff working on the census.
However, a Pakhtun nationalist party Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PMAP) insists on conducting house census. There is a need to create awareness among the people of Balochistan who usually take the census lightly. The parties have to launch a campaign for this, he said.
The house-listing census will work against the Baloch since a large population of the community is nomadic and do not have permanent housing that can be added to their count. The Pakhtun on the other hand will not suffer from the house-listing census because their community has more permanent settlements.
Other Baloch nationalist parties had already opposed the census and asked the people to keep away from the exercise. Balochistan National Party-Awami had filed a petition in Balochistan High Court demanding to postpone the house census immediately.
Joint Census Commissioner Balochistan Abdul Wahab said that the Home Department had identified 11 districts where law and order situation was poor. The exercise is not taking place in five districts where it will be initiated later, he said.
Nationalist parties oppose census in Balochistan – The Express Tribune
