KARACHI - Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan Senior Deputy Convener Syed Mustafa Kamal Thursday claimed that the party ‘succeeded’ in presenting the case of false census in urban parts of Sindh especially Karachi with evidence and convinced the higher authorities. Addressing a presser here at the party’s headquarter in Bahadurabad, Kamal referred to a letter of National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) written in reply to a query of Maritimes Affairs Minister Senator Faisal Sabzwari and said that that the number of identity cards and B-forms issued to residents of Karachi was more than 19 million as of 7th April 2023. The Maritimes Affairs Minister had approached the NADRA and sought actual numbers of adults and children below 18 registered with the authority on Karachi addresses.
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According to the reply of NADRA, a copy of which was also available with The Nation, total number of identities issued till 7th April was 13.54 million. “Further more 41% of children below 18 are also registered with NADRA,” the reply read. The MQM-P Senior Deputy Convener said that based on the reservations and evidence presented by the party on the census, the department of Statistics had identified32,000 high-rise buildings and 7,000 blocks where either the census staff not reached or undercounted the number of people living there. “There are about 200 houses in each census block, while according to the results received so far, there are 860 blocks in Karachi where there is only one person is counted in each house. The entire block has a population of only 200 people which is impossible,” he amazed. Kamal said that as per records of K-Electric, the number of residential meters was more than 3.4 million while 25 percent of the people did not have meters but using electricity. He said that the number of registered houses in the census was only 2.9 million.
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“The people of Karachi and Sindh should be satisfied that this united, organised and dynamic MQM-P will not allow anyone to encroach on the rights of Karachi,” he added said. The MQM-P Senior Deputy Convener said that his party was fighting the case of Karachi effectively despite being the coalition partners in the federal government. “Would Jamat-e-Islami or Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf have met with the Prime Minister, Chief Minister, Federal Ministers and officials of the Statistical department and provided them evidence regarding false census,” he asked. Kamal said that the MQM-P leadership and workers were not only informing the government and the statistics agency about the party’s reservations but also conveying public complaints to the relevant institutions. Kamal also criticised Jamaat-e-Islami and said that MQM-Ps top trend “Census Hamari Red Line” woke up its Karachi Chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman from his sleep and as soon as he woke up he saw the red line.
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He said that Jamaat-e-Islami and PTI had ‘betrayed’ Karachi by contesting elections without 53 UCs. He said that the PTI had proven to be the wrong number for the people of Karachi. “They are all anti-Karachi parties that have no stake here. Other political parties cannot raise their voice for Karachi due to their egos. MQM-P is the only representative party of the people of urban Sindh,” Kamal viewed. On the occasion, Deputy Convenor Anees Qaim Khani, members of Rabita Committee MNAs and MPAs were also present.