:dateline:Reacting to the non-inclusion of Sikhism as a distinct religion in the first census to be conducted in Pakistan for 19 years, the Peshawar High Court ordered the census authorities to include Sikhism in the religion column of census form yesterday.
Originally, the first phase of the sixth census which, started on March 15, had clubbed in Sikhs with the scheduled castes of the country, while separately counting Muslims, Hindus, Christians and two other groups.
Sikh24 has learnt that the census authorities has been ordered to implement the ruling in the second phase of census which is going to start on April 25, after the Sikh community filed a petition in the Peshawar High Court.
A spokesperson for the census authorities in Pakistan had admitted that the blunder took place as the forms were printed in 2007, at a time when Sikhism was not included as the population was marginal at that time. He had further said that the previous�five religions had been included on the recommendation of a 120-member technical committee in 2007.
