Pakistan undercounts minorities in census

Minorities in Pakistan have accused the government of undercounting them in the sixth Population and Housing Census, according to a media report.

Pakistan Bureau of Statistics completed the data of the sixth Population and Housing Census under the former prime minister Nawaz Sharif's tenure in 2017 and released it in May, Pakistan Today reported.

As per the data, religious minorities shrunk in the country while the Muslim population grew by 96.47 per cent of the population. Hindus accounted for 1.73 per cent of the population; Christians, per cent, Ahmadis, per cent scheduled caste 0.41 per cent and others 0.02 per cent, Pakistan Today said.

The previous census was conducted in 1998 that recorded nearly 132.3 million people, while the 2017 data show the population has grown to 207.68 million.

Karachi Supreme Court attorney Neel Keshav said, "The 1998 census data showed a Hindu population of nearly 2 million. Yet the new census showed that it had only risen to 3.5 million in 20 years." However, he maintained that the numbers of Hindus are likely to be much higher as the majority of them reside in rural areas.

Human rights experts have warned that minorities aren't safe in Pakistan and their social and economic status is also precarious. Analysts have stressed that the security of minorities is subject to the arbitrary whim of the Muslim majority, reported Pakistan Today.