GENERAL STATISTICS ACT, 1975

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GENERAL STATISTICS ACT, 1975 
(LXIX of 1975)  
CONTENTS 
1. Short title and commencement 
2. Definitions 
3. Statistical Council 
4. Functions of the Council 
5. Statistics Authority 
6. Competent Authority 
7. Statistical Agents 
8. Formulation of questionnaire etc 
9. Power to call for returns and informations 
10. Right of access to record or document 
11. Secrecy of answers, information and returns 
12. Penalty for refusal of answer questions, etc 
13. Penalty for obstructing statistical agents, etc 
14. Penalty for giving or furnishing false answers information or returns 
15. Penalty for improper disclosure of information etc 
16. Prosecution under other laws 
17. Sanction for the prosecution 
18. Jurisdiction 
19. Act not to authorize collection of certain information or statistics 
20. Power to make rules 
21. Power of Federal Statistics Authority to issue directions 
TEXT 
GENERAL STATISTICS ACT, 1975 
(LXIX of 1975) 
[17th November, 1975] 
An 
Act 
to constitute certain authorities for the collection and coordination of statistics 
facilitate economic and other planning. 
WHEREAS it is expedient to constitute certain authorities for the collection 
and coordination of statistics to facilitate economic and other planning and to provide 
for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto; 
It is hereby enacted as follows:– 
1. Short t itle, extent  and com mencement.– 1. This Act may be called the 
General Statistics Act, 1975 
(1) It extends to the whole of Pakistan. 
(2) It shall come into force on such date as the Federal Government may, 
by notification in the official gazette, appoint. 
2. Definitions.– In this Act, unless there is anything repugnant in the subject or 
context,– 
(a) “appropriate Government” means,– 
(i) in relation to the Federal Statistics Authority or any matter 
relating to the collection and compilation of statistics for the 
whole of Pakistan, the Federal Government, and 
(ii) in relation to  a  Provincial Statistics Authority or any matter 
relating to the collection and compilation of Statistics for a 
Province or a part thereof the Provincial Government; 
(b) “competent authority” means an authority or officers appointed under 
section 6 to be a competent authority; 
(c) “Council” means the National Statistical Council or the Provincial 
Statistical Council constituted under Section 3; 
(d) “establishment” means a shop, commercial establishment, industrial 
establishment, firm , company, private dispensary, maternity home, 
residential hotel, restaurant, eating house, café, cinema, theater, 
circus or other  place of public amusement or entertainment and such 
other establishments or class thereof as the Federal Government may, 
by notification in the official Gazette, declare to be an establishment 
for the purposes of this Act; 
(e) “prescribed” means prescribed by rules made under this Act; 
(f) “statistical agen t” means any agency, authority or officer, appointed 
for, or engaged in, the collection of statistics under this Act; and 
(g) “Statistics Authority” means the Federal Statistics Authority or a 
Provincial Statistics Authority appointed under Section 5. 
3. Statistical Council.– (1) For the whole of Pakistan, the Federal Gov ernment, 
and for a province a Provincial Government , may, by notification in the official 
Gazette, constitute a Council to be called respectively the National Statistical Council 
and a Provincial Statistical Council consisting of such members, including a 
Chairman, as it may appoint.  
 (2) The Chairman and members of the Council shall hold office during the 
pleasure of, and on such terms and conditions as may be determined by the 
appropriate Government. 
 (3) The Council shall regulate its own procedure. 
4. Functions of the Council .– The following shall be the functions of the 
Council:– 
Namely:– 
(a) to coordinate the functions of the Statistics Authorities and 
competent authorities and to advise them as to the ways and 
means of achieving efficient, adequate and prompt results; 
(b) to approve of the priorities for filling gaps in statistical data and, 
for that purpose, to allocate functions to the Statistics 
Authorities; 
(c) to draw up schemes for avoiding duplication in the formulation 
and execution of statistical programmes and to resolve 
differences in that respect; 
(d) to make competent advice and guidance available to Statistics 
Authorities, competent authorities and statistical agents in the 
matter of large-scale statistical operations and projects; 
(e) to ensure economic and efficient utilization of field services, 
machine tabulation equipment and other scarce resources; 
(f) to promote research and training in statistics; and 
(g) to perform such other functions as the appropriate Government 
may, from time to time, direct. 
5. Statistics Authority.– (1) For the whole of Pakistan the Federal Government, 
and for a province  the Provincial Government, may, by notification in the official 
gazette, appoint an officer to be called respectively the Federal Statistics Authority 
and the Provincial Statistics Authority. 
(2) A Statistics Authority shall, in accordance with such instructions as the 
Council may, from time to time give, perform the following functions, namely:– 
(a) drawing up specific statistical programmes to carryout the instructions 
of the Council; 
(b) appraising the quality of all statistics of national or regional importance; 
(c) Laying  down and approving forms and procedure for statistical 
enquiries and ensuring against any duplication and sub -standard data 
collection; 
(d) standardization of concepts and definitions relating to statistics; 
(e) giving of advice and guidance to, and coordinating the functions of the 
competent authorities and the statistical agents; 
(f) making of recommendations to the Council relating to the standards of 
training of statisticians and statistical agents; 
(g) laying down the procedure for a continuing programme of in service 
institutional and foreign training; 
(h) periodical review of statistical progress on the basis of reports obtained 
from the competent authorities and the statistical agents; 
(i) giving of advice to the Federal Government, the Provincial Government 
and other authorities or persons on the use and relevance of available 
statistics in relation to specific problems of economic policy; 
(j) identification of gaps in the National, Provincial or Regional statistical 
series and submission for the consideration of the Council of proposals 
relating to the  order of priority in filling such gaps; 
(k) appraisal and allocation of technical resources required for statistical 
projects; 
(l) compilation and publication of data of general nature for national and 
international reference; and 
(m) such other functions as the appropriate Government may, from time to 
time, direct. 
6. Competent Authority .– (1) The appropriate Government may, for the 
purpose of collection and compilation of statistics on any matter, appoint any 
authority or officer to be a competent authority for the purposes of this Act. 
 (2) In the exercise of its powers and performance of its functions under this 
Act, a competent authority shall be subject to the superintendence, direction and 
control of the Statistics Authority appointed by the same appropriate Government by 
which it has been appointed. 
7. Statistical Agents.– The appropriate Government, and, if so empowered by 
the appropriate Government, a Statistics Authority and a competent authority, may, 
for the purpose of collection of statistics or information under this Act, appoint or 
engage such officers or persons as it may think fit. 
8. Formulation of questionnaire , etc.– (1) For the purpose of collecting 
statistics on any matter, a Statistics Authority may, by notification in the official 
Gazette, formulate such questionnaire as it may think fit, and a competent a uthority 
or a statistical agent appointed for the collection of such statistics may require any 
person within its jurisdiction to give answers to such questionnaire and to such other 
questions relevant thereto as may be necessary to elicit full answers to the 
questionnaire. 
(2) Any person who is required to give answers to a questionnaire and 
other relevant questions under sub -section (1) shall give answers to the best of his 
knowledge and belief. 
(3) Nothing in this section shall authorize a Statistics Aut hority, a 
competent authority or a statistical agent:– 
(a) to require a woman to state the name of her husband or deceased 
husband or any other person whose name she is by custom forbidden 
to mention; or 
(b) to insist on information of a purely private nature. 
9. Power to call for return s and information .– Without prejudice to the 
provisions of section 8, a competent authority may, for the purpose of collecting 
statistics for which it has been appointed, serve or cause to be served on any 
person, by post or otherwise , a notice requiring him to furnish to such authority or 
person in such manner, at such time or intervals and in such form and with such 
particulars, such information or returns as may be prescribed and a person served 
with such notice shall accordingly furnish information or returns required thereby. 
10. Right of access to record or document .– (1) A Statistical agent shall, for 
the purpose of collection of statistics for which he h as been appointed, have access 
to any relevant record or document in the possession of any person required to 
furnish information or return under Section 9 and may, at any reasonable time after 
due notice, enter any premises, house, vessel or other place w herein he believes 
such record or document to be and ask any person any question s necessary for 
obtaining any information required to be furnished by such person. 
(2) Every person owning or occupying any premises, house, vessel or land 
shall allow a statis tical agent such access thereto as he may reasonably require for 
the purpose of collection of statistics for which he has been appointed and shall 
allow him to paint on, affix to or dig in the premises, house, vessel or land such 
letters, marks or objects as may be necessary for such purpose. 
11. Secrecy of answers, information and returns .– All answers to the 
questions received and all information and returns furnished under this Act shall be 
confidential and shall not be– 
(a) used for any purpose other than compilation of statistics under this Act; 
(b) published in a form which may disclose the state of affairs of any 
particulars individual, firm or institution; 
(c) divulged, except with the written consent of the person answering the 
question or furnishing the information or return, to any person not 
connected officially with the enquiry in relation to which the said 
answers, information or returns have been called for; 
(d) accessible to the inspection of any person otherwise than for the 
purpose of prosecution for contravention of the provisions of this Act; or 
(e) disclosed to any person , or used or, notwithstanding anything 
contained in the Evidence  Act, 1872 be admissible in evid ence in any 
proceedings to which the person giving the answer or furnishing the 
information or return is a party, except for the purpose of prosecution 
for contravention of the provisions of this Act. 
12. Penalty for refusal to answer questions, etc.– Whoever, after he has been 
given due notice to answer any questionnaire or to furnish any information or returns 
under this Act, willfully and without lawful excuse, refuses or fail to answer, to the 
best of his knowledge and belie f, such questionnaire or other relevant questions 
asked of him by a statistical agent which he is legally bound to answer, or to furnish 
such information or returns, within the period specified in the notice or within the 
period allowed in a further notice  which shall be given to him by the authority which 
gave him the earlier notice, shall be punishable with fine which may extend to five 
hundred rupees and, in the case of an establishment, with a further fine which may 
extend to two hundred rupees for ever y day, after the first, during which the offence 
continues. 
13. Penalty for obstructing statistical agent s, etc .– Whoever, refuses a 
statistical agent any right of access conferred by Section 10 or willfully obstructs him 
in the discharge of his duties under this Act or, before the collection of information or 
statistics for which any letter, mark or object  was painted, affixed or dug on, to or in 
any premises, house, vessel or land, or, without lawful authority, removes, 
obliterates, alters or damages such letter, mark or object, shall be punishable,–  
(a) In the case of an establishment, with imprisonment for a term which 
may extend to three months , or with fine which may extend to one 
thousand rupees, or with both; and 
(b) In any other case, with fine which may extend to five hundred rupees. 
14. Penalty for giving or furnishing false answers , information or returns .– 
Whoever, willfully gives a false answer to a questionnaire or other relevant question 
or furnishes or causes to be furnis hed any information or return which he knows to 
be false shall be punishable with fine which may extend to one thousand rupees in 
the case of an establishment and five hundred rupees in any other case. 
15. Penalty for impr oper disclosure of infor mation, etc.– Whoever, being 
engaged for or in connection with the collection of statistics under this Act, willfully 
discloses, otherwise than in the discharge of his duties or  for the  purposes of 
prosecution for contravention of any of the pr ovisions of this Act, any answer to a 
questionnaire, or any information or the contents of any return, given or furnished 
under this Act, shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to 
three months, or with fine which may extend to one thousand rupees or with both. 
16. Prosecution under other law s.– Nothing in this Act shall be deemed to 
prevent any person from being prosecuted under any other law for the time being in 
force for any act or omission which constitutes an offence under such other law. 
17. Sanction for the prosecution.– No prosecution for an offence under this Act, 
or for an act or omission which constitutes an offence under any other law, shall be 
instituted except with the previous sanction of the appr opriate Government or of a 
person authorized by it in this behalf. 
18. Jurisdiction.– No court inferior to that of a Magistrate of the first Class shall 
try an offence under this Act. 
19. Act not to au thorize collection of certain infor mation or statistics .– 
Nothing in this Act shall authorize the collection of statistics or of any information 
relating to any work of defence, arsenal, navel, military or air force establishment or 
any other defence  factory, installation or establishment. 
20. Power t o make rules .– The appropriate Government may make rules for 
carrying out the purposes of this Act. 
21. Power of Federal Statistics Authority to issue directions .– 
Notwithstanding anything contained in any other law for the time being in force, 
which provides for the collection of statistics, the Federal Statistics Authority may 
issue to any other authority functioning under any such law such directions as it may 
consider necessary for the purposes of this Act.