EDITORIAL : THE DAWN, PAKISTAN

Census criticism

THERE have been numerous complaints, particularly from Sindh, regarding the house-listing component of the nation`s sixth census, with critics saying that the exercise is not being conducted in a transparent manner. On Friday, Jam Madad Ali, leader of the opposition in the Sindh Assembly, rejected the house-listing operation and called for conducting the census under the army`s watch. Jam Madad claimed census staff did not have access to parts of Karachi and Hyderabad as well as a few other areas of Sindh, while adding that there were too few enumerators and not enough time to complete the exercise. The opposition leader also complained of `political interference` in the exercise. Sindhi nationalist parties have also termed the house count as “casually planned and poorly implemented”. They have alleged that employees of the Karachi Water & Sewerage Board and Karachi`s city government are being used as enumerators. Even Taj Haider — head of the PPP`s census monitoring committee — has cast doubts on the fairness of the house count in Karachi.

Since criticism is coming in from such varied sources, the state needs to address objections and investigate areas where there is credible evidence that irregularities may have occurred. All stakeholders need to be taken on board, or else the results of the exercise will remain disputed. As we have previously mentioned, an accurate house count will pave the way for an accurate head count, which is scheduled for later this year. However, everyone must realise that the census is an essential exercise and complaints of anomalies should not be used as an excuse to yet again scrap the whole process.

While it is true that the census is a technical exercise, it is also a fact that it is one with considerable political overtones and ramifications. There are genuine fears that misrepresentation will lead to changed constituencies as population numbers of certain areas could be artificially increased, while other areas could be overlooked. These fears need to be addressed as it is in everyone`s interest that the census continues and is a fair process. Though changed demographic realities cannot be wished away and all parties should accept these changes based on solid data, gerrymandering for political gain is totally unacceptable and needs to be checked. The world over censuses are major undertakings and some criticism will always remain about the way the process is conducted. Criticism is welcome as there is always room for improvement. In Pakistan`s case the state needs to lend an ear to genuine criticism and tackle areas where flagrant irregularities are said to be taking place.

Crackdown on protests

POLICE reportedly used batons and teargas in Karachi on Friday against traders protesting power outages. While in this case officials claimed that protesters had hurled stones at law-enforcement officers, there have been a series of recent incidents in which citizens demonstrating for various demands have suffered brutal treatment at the hands of the police. In late March, tenants claiming ownership rights of land in Khanewal were baton-charged and tear-gassed while marching to Lahore, and the injured reportedly included women and children. A few days earlier, lady health workers demanding regularisation of employment were baton-charged and tear-gassed while staging a sit-in near the Sindh-Punjab border, and violence was also used against their colleagues who later protested in Karachi about the crackdown. In February, police had used batons and water cannons against members of the Sindh education staff marching from the Karachi Press Club to the chief minister`s residence in protest against various conditions of employment.

It is clear that the general level of frustration among Pakistani citizens is rising, especially regarding their livelihoods. In addition to the demonstrations above, the Young Doctors` Association and members of Punjab`s provincial bureaucracy have staged significant protests recently. And if last year is anything to go by, loadshedding in the upcoming summer months may lead to frequent demonstrations. On a fundamental level, these incidents reflect citizens` belief that their grievances will only be heard if they protest or cause some level of disruption. However, the long-term solution lies in creating effective mechanisms through which citizens` complaints can be heard and addressed. Meanwhile, what can be changed in the short-term is the use of force and even large-scale arrests, which must not be taken lightly or resorted to easily. Too often it seems that police personnel are not trained or not willing to manage protests unless they can opt for violence. Until this culture of brutal crackdowns is overhauled from within the law-enforcement force, one fears there will be many more instances of police clashing with citizens who are simply trying to make their voices heard in a difficult economic climate.

Maternal health

AS reported on Thursday, a study by a trusted medical journal has shown that Pakistani women suffer the second highest number of stillbirths in the world. An even more alarming statistic is that they top the list in terms of stillbirth rate — 47 per 1,000 births, the highest of the 193 countries studied. According to a Pakistani doctor who helped author the report, this rate has only improved by six per cent since 1995. An important caveat is that data was not easily obtainable everywhere, so countries like Somalia and Afghanistan, for example, may have higher rates than the existing data shows. Even with that qualification, however, Pakistan`s rate — compared to 19 per 1,000 births globally — is an alarming comment on the quality of maternal health in the country.

These statistics point to a serious lack of access to prenatal care as well as trained medical practitioners and clean, well-equipped facilities at the time of childbirth. This need is especially dire in rural areas, where the time taken to reach these resources can result in serious complications. To address the issue, many more trained community midwives, if not nurses and doctors as well, would be needed in rural and in low-income urban areas, along with training centres and qualified faculty that can churn out midwives in adequate numbers. Such an effort would also require sufficient benefits for these workers; as recent complications with the otherwise successful lady health worker programme have shown, these employees must be provided with enough compensation and job security to motivate them to work under inhospitable conditions in some remote areas. While it remains true that the government is facing severe economic pressures, addressing the currently appalling state of healthcare for women should be near the top of any list of development priorities.