ICC Note:

Pakistan is preparing to conduct its first census in almost 20 years. The census is necessary to determine seat allocation in Pakistan’s parliament. There will be intense security, but many doubt the accuracy of the census. This is will not likely produce accurate results in the number of Christians in Pakistan as Christians will not be willing to admit their religion to government officials.

3/15/2017 Pakistan (Sky News) – A 70-day data gathering operation, starting in 63 districts and protected by police and soldiers, is being carried out by 118,000 officials.

The previous census was completed in 1998 and the long delay in updating it is down to a lack of funds, political disputes and insufficient troops to keep everybody involved safe.

But in December the chief justice of Pakistan’s supreme court set a deadline of March or April, saying a census was essential to democracy.

Seats in Pakistan’s parliament are allocated according to population density and without a census the number of seats cannot be decided.

Rural populations in the world’s sixth-largest country frequently change as people try to escape poverty and ethnic or sectarian violence by moving to towns and cities.

The security staff will protect census teams and ensure households can

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