Ongoing census is like going for general medical test

Abstract

Have you ever asked a tailor to stitch clothes without telling the age, height, weight, and other measurements? Yes, the whole idea sounds absurd. How can one stitch clothes for someone without knowing the basic measurements? The same holds when governments formulate and implement their plans without an updated census. Pakistan has been living with this absurdity since 2008. Without knowing the number, age, geographical distribution, ethnic, religious, and gender composition, educational level, income level, employment level and other key indicators of its population, successive governments have been planning and executing policies, ranging from economic, social, political, foreign, environmental to defence.