RAWALPINDI, Pakistan: Pakistan army continues to support the Sixth Housing and Population Census as its Phase 2 is successfully underway across the Country.
In a press release issued on Tuesday, the Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) said that Pakistan army support continues for Phase 2 of Sixth Housing and Population Census.
The ISPR said that first Phase had concluded on April 15, 2017 completing the set target in 63 Districts of all Provinces including Azad Jammu & Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan.
It said that the census material of Phase 1 from all districts across the Country has been safely transported to Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) in Islamabad under the Pakistan army’s protection.
The Phase 2 is in progress and set to conclude as planned on May 25, 2017.
Since the long-awaited Housing and Population Census began in terror-hit Pakistan on March 15, a few untoward incidents have already taken place in which the Census team and the Security personnel on duty with the team were targeted.
Such as in Lahore’s Bedian Road area, a suicide blast struck a Census team on April 5, leaving six people including army personnel martyred.
Exactly a month later, once again casualties occurred when the Afghan border forces opened fire on Frontier Corps personnel deployed for security of a Population Census team in Balochistan’s Chaman area on May 5.
However, the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa has made it clear that the population census will continue at any cost, considering it a national obligation.
