ICC Note:

Pakistan’s current census is a source of both hope and fear for Christians. Marginalized and persecuted, Pakistan’s Christian community hopes the country’s first census in a decade will help give the community greater political representation and rights. Currently, the exact size of Pakistan’s population, including Christian population, is unknown and is based on estimates many dispute. Many Christian leaders feel an accurate count of the Christian community will be a positive step in helping change the future prospects for their community.  

05/22/2017 Pakistan (Daily Times) – Marginalized, attacked and frequently hit by blasphemy charges, Pakistan’s religious minorities are hoping the country’s first census since 1998 will be a step towards greater political representation and rights.

In the congested Lahore area of Youhanabad, the largest Christian neighborhood in Pakistan, activist Sajid Christopher says his community looks forward to standing up and being counted.

“The census will benefit us in two ways. Firstly we will be able to know about our exact population as so far there has been only guesswork,” he told AFP. “Secondly, our representation in parliament will be according to our population as our present representation in the democratic system is based on the census of 1981,” he added.

Fast-growing Pakistan is the sixth most populous country in the world, with an estimated 200 million people, but has not held a census for nearly two decades, despite a constitutional requirement for one every decade.

The count was delayed for years by politicians squabbling over the potential implications.

Estimates are approximate and disputed, ranging from two to 10 million for Christians, and 2.5 to 4.5 million for Hindus.

Christopher’s views were echoed by Nancy Stiegler, an adviser for the UN Population Fund who called the census a “powerful tool for planning” not only for minorities, “but all the population of Pakistan”.

This desire for more accurate data goes to the heart of the controversy surrounding the census: that it will redraw political boundaries and force a redistribution of resources.

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