Supreme Court accepts PSP's petition questioning Karachi's census

ISLAMABAD: Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Saqib Nisar approved on Friday Pak Sarzameen Party’s (PSP) appeal against the registrar’s dismissal of its petition related to the recent population census in Karachi.

The chief justice heard the appeal inside his chamber, where PSP chief and former Karachi mayor Mustafa Kamal was present.

After a brief hearing, PSP’s appeal was accepted by the chief justice and the registrar office’s objections were dismissed.

In his decision, Chief Justice Nisar observed that the hearing on the petition will be held after the general election, due on July 25, as any proceedings prior to that could impact the polls.

In the petition, the PSP has claimed that the population census conducted earlier this year has undercounted Karachi’s population, which in reality is over 30 million.

The census showed the city’s population as around 15 million.

Kamal, while addressing the media outside the apex court, stated that thousands of people arrive in Karachi every year and settle there. He added that despite the influx, population counts of Karachi’s rural and urban areas show a decrease in numbers.