ICC Note:
Christians in Pakistan are making preparations to participate in Pakistan’s long-awaited population census. The last population census taken in Pakistan was in 1998 and many Christians and human rights activists claim religious minority communities, including Christians, were underrepresented. This under-representation has robbed Christians of their political and social rights in Pakistan, allowing radicals to push their community further towards the margins of society. 
02/13/2017 Pakistan (The News International) – As the government prepares for the long-awaited population census scheduled for March, Christian clergy and rights activists are striving to ensure that members of their community are counted accurately this time round.
Terming the results of the 1998 census “flawed”, the activists said Christian leaders had realized the magnitude of acquiring reliable statistics of the community in Karachi.
“We are dissatisfied with the figures drawn from the last census,” said Zahid Farooq, an advocate for the rights of non-Muslims. “It shows that some forces are unhappy with the exact number of non-Muslims, especially Christians.”
But this time, he added, “the community has understood the importance of the census and their clergy and leaders are on the go”.
More than 140 Roman Catholic and Church of Pakistan (Protestant) leaders from various parts of the city, under the headship of Archbishop Joseph Coutts and Bishop Sadiq Daniel respectively, are expected to meet at the auditorium of the St Patrick’s High School on Monday evening to discuss the upcoming population count.
Farooq said the churches could play an important role not only in developing awareness and motivating the community to participate in the data-collection process but also in forming church-level committees to ensure their inclusion in the census. “Holding an informal count of Christians in the city is also on the cards.”
Anthony Naveed, Sindh chief minister’s former special assistant for interfaith harmony, said the approaching population poll was imperative for non-Muslim communities, especially Christians. “The census will not only help Christians know their accurate number but also help them socially and politically.”
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