FBS, PCO, ACO merged into single organization

ISLAMABAD: The government has constituted a new organization of Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) after merging the Federal Bureau of Statistics (FBS), the Population Census Organization (PCO), and the Agriculture Census Organization (ACO) to ensure provision of accurate, transparent and reliable data of the country.

Decision to this effect was made in a meeting of the governing council of newly constituted PBS held here on Friday under the chairmanship of Federal Minister for Finance, Revenues and Statistics Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh.

Briefing media persons, the minister said that the aim of constituting the PBS was to bring transparency, reliability and confidence of local and foreign institutions in data collection process in the country.

He said that the PBS would be an independent and autonomous institution free of political involvement and government intervention to collect transparent data for policy making in the country.

The PBS would be comprised an independent governing council which would be consisted of ten members includind economists, high-profile professionals of financial institutions, academia and business community and policy makers while a Chief Statistician would look after the daily business of the organization, he added.

Hafeez Shaikh said that the Chief Statistician would report to the governing council and the Finance Minister would be the chairman of the council.

He said a User Council would also be constituted comprising media persons, researchers, members from chambers of commerce, consumers and civil society representatives to strengthen the working of PBS.

The members of the governing council would be selected for three years and a human resources committee of the governing council also be formed to hire the Chief Statistician.

The minister said that the committee would advertise the post of Chief Statistician in local and international media to appoint a high profile professional on the post.

The newly formed governing council of PBS comprises former Governor State Bank of Pakistan Dr Shamshad Akhtar, Professor Dr Muhammad Niazamudin, Vice Chancellor of Gujrat University Dr Zeba A Sattar, Country Director Population Council and other renowned economists and academia. (APP)