1998 Census: The Results and Implications

Akhtar Hassan Khan
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Akhtar Hassan Khan: formerly Secretary, Government of Pakistan, Islamabad.

The Pakistan Development Review, 1998, vol. 37, issue 4, 481-493

Abstract: The 1998 Census was the fifth nation-wide census to be held in Pakistan. The earlier censuses were held in 1951, 1961, 1972, and 1981. It was the British colonial administrators who started the tradition of holding nation-wide decennial censuses in the year beginning with digit 1. Regular censuses were held in British India from 1881 to 1941. Pakistan continued with this tradition and conducted its national censuses in 1951 and 1961. The 1971 census was postponed due to civil war leading to the separation of East Pakistan. But it was promptly held in the following year in 1972. The 1981 census was held on time in March 1981, preceded by the Housing Census in December 1980. The present author was the Census Commissioner at that time. The next census was due in 1991. Adequate preparations were made. It is a standard operation in every census to conduct house listing before the actual detailed inquiry. Enumerators visit all the houses within their block, put a census number on the house, list the house number corresponding with the census number, and ask a broad question on the total number of persons staying in the house and record this number in their registers. These numbers showed absurd exaggeration, with 10 to 12 percent annual growth in many districts. The operation was called off and it was decided to proceed afresh.

Date: 1998
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