As per the preliminary findings from the ongoing digital census, Punjab risks losing eight National Assembly seats.
Journalist Tahir Mehdi’s report suggests that Balochistan will be the primary beneficiary of Punjab’s losses. However, the data also indicates that Punjab’s population no longer constitutes more than half of Pakistan’s population.
The provisional results from the digital population census released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) reveal that Punjab’s population makes up exactly 50% of the country’s total population. However, over the years, the proportion of Punjab’s population has been consistently decreasing.
The report suggests that Punjab’s allocation of 141 seats in the lower house may be reduced to 133, not because the population isn’t growing but because its population growth rate is slower as National Assembly seats are allocated based on population, a slower growth rate in Punjab results in a decreased share of total seats.
Mehdi’s report highlights that Balochistan will likely gain the majority of the seats Punjab loses, as the province’s population has surged by an astounding 62.9% since 2017. However, while Balochistan’s population increased by nearly 63% from 2017 to 2023, Punjab’s population decreased by 6% during the same period.
Mehdi believes that Balochistan’s population may have been undercounted in the 2017 census, which has now been more accurately recorded. However, the controversy around the census is expected to persist as the results’ impact on seat allocation becomes clearer.
Ahmed Bilal Mehboob, president of the Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency (PILDAT), asserts that the government must immediately address crisis management. He also emphasizes the importance of effective communication from the PBS to ensure confidence in the census figures.
Additional news input was taken from “The News.”
