There is no time left to conduct another census: Imran Ismail

The PTI government on Friday moved to address the reservations of the MQM-P over the approval of controversial results of Census 2017 and assured to address them.

Sindh Governor Imran Ismail said the MQM-P is an important ally of the PTI and added that "there's an excellent understanding" between the two. "The concerns expressed by the MQM-P are genuine and were raised by some PTI members as well," he said. "Other parties have also objected to it."

It may be noted here that both MQM-P and PPP had expressed reservations over the census results and its approval.  Governor Ismail stressed the ruling coalition will remain intact and the government will address the issue. He explained that the federal cabinet had approved census keeping in view the upcoming local bodies polls.

"There is no time left to conduct another census," he said. "So, the government will repeat the exercise in 2022 before the next general elections and remove all discrepancies in the method to ensure transparency. "

The statement comes after MQM-P leader Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui said the federal cabinet accepted the 2017 census results despite coalition partner's reservations. "Census is a matter of life and death.