Senator Taj Haider, Secretary General of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), raised concerns over the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) recently announced voter registration figures, calling them a reflection of fraud in the country’s latest census.
As per ECP’s statement, there are 132,254,310 registered voters, which includes individuals aged 18 years and above, but Haider pointed out a significant gender gap of 10 million votes. He argued that this gap should be added to the registered voter count.
Additionally, Haider highlighted that NADRA has missed registering 3 percent of the population, meaning the actual number of registered voters should be closer to 151 million.
Haider further criticized the reported population figure of 240 million, which implies that only 90 million people are below the age of 18.
He noted that in most countries, children and those under 18 make up a significant portion of the population, stressing the importance of accurate demographic data, warning that inaccurate figures lead to flawed planning and misinformed policy decisions.
Haider called for an end to self-deception and stressed the need for transparent and correct population figures to ensure effective governance.
Last month, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has reported a significant rise in voter numbers, with the total now exceeding 132.2 million across the country.
According to the ECP’s latest figures, male voters account for 53.74 percent (71.08 million), while female voters make up 46.26 percent (61.18 million).
Provincial voter breakdowns reveal 5.53 million in Balochistan, 22.54 million in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 75.38 million in Punjab, and 27.74 million in Sindh.
The report comes amid scrutiny of the ECP’s performance following the controversial 2024 elections.
Political parties have accused the commission of tampering with results, leading to heightened criticism.
