The Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) on Tuesday announced the winding up of field operations of the 7th Population and Housing Census, the first-ever digital census, and initiated the data verification process which would be completed within 15 days.
“ The field operation, which commenced on March 1, 2023 and continued without any interruption, has been completed on May 15,” a PBS news release said.
It said the headcount data of armed forces restricted areas and collective residences would be incorporated in the population-counts respective blocks.
The citizen complaints regarding non-coverage would be entertained and redressed at Census Support Center (CSC) and the PBS Call Centers (0800-57574) till May 30, subject to the provision of NIC number and requisite information.
Simultaneously, the PBS said the verification for quality assurance of the data would continue by using a modern technique called Computer Assisted Telephonic Interview (CATI), urging the citizens to extend cooperation with the teams to verify their data through randomly generated calls through CATI.
The bureau said a committee of renowned demographers had been constituted pursuant to the decision of the Census Monitoring Committee (CMC) to analyze the collected data for pointing out departures from the normal trends.
The National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) and Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO) would extend technical assistance through a forensic audit to the Demographers Committee for rectification of under and over-reporting.
The committee would finalize its recommendations for consideration of the CMC after analyzing census data by applying demographic techniques, keeping in view forensic reports as well as ground realities.
“The population counts being reported in the media are provisional and will change owing to data synchronization, the addition of restricted areas and collective residence aggregated counts, leftover structures and change based on recommendations of demographers’ committee approved by the CMC.” —APP
