At last after a massive delay of 18 years, the federal government has taken an initiative to conduct the long overdue population census with the assistance of the military. On February 5, Finance Minister Senator Muhammad Ishaq Dar chaired a meeting to review arrangements for the Population and Housing Census scheduled for 2016. However, a final decision would be made by next week whether to hold the population census or defer it again. The last census was held in 1998 during the regime of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. Pakistan was due to conduct a census in 2008 and 2010 but political unrest, conflict and natural disasters contributed to delays. It has also been delayed due to the apathy of successive regimes of Musharraf, the PPP and PML-N in carrying out this important exercise since 1998. Although it is a huge task, yet the government cannot go on without completing this important assignment. The damage done by the lack of interest of previous regimes must be compensated now. The security of enumerators is a critical issue during the conduct of this important exercise and the army’s role is vital in this regard. The non-availability of the required number of army personnel once again can bring the process to a halt. If the army personnel are not available in required number the exercise should be completed in phases. For every modern country, a population census carries great importance because all the planning for development, allocation of resources and formulation of policies to cater for different needs of the citizens hinge upon the data collected through this exercise. It should be held once every 10 years but in Pakistan all the planning over the last 18 years has been done without knowledge about the actual number of citizens. It is also necessary because the representation of the provinces in the National Assembly is decided on the basis of population and it is also helpful in the determination of provincial shares in the federal tax revenue. The census will give a comprehensive picture of the social and living conditions of our people. An accurate census is in everyone’s interest. It provides the data that allows public resources to be shared equitably across the country and to ensure that services at local level are relevant to all the people who live there. A reliable census is important for Pakistan to adequately plan growth, deliver services and solve the country’s problems. Although there are still doubts about the start of the census in 2016, yet the process must be initiated to determine the fair allocation of resources and ensure better planning. *