{
  "schema_version": "qanun-law-text/1",
  "id": "punjab-code-1ba3758faec7deef",
  "title": "GENERAL STATISTICS ACT, 1975",
  "source_collection": "Punjab",
  "content_kind": "stored_law_text",
  "content_extent": null,
  "source_url": "https://punjabcode.punjab.gov.pk/en/show_article/XGlSYFBhUmo-",
  "version": null,
  "source_snapshot": "2026-08-06T16:34:18Z",
  "legal_status": "not independently verified",
  "text_quality": "Complete stored UTF-8 TXT file recovered byte-for-byte from owned Drive. Source transcription retained verbatim; legal completeness, OCR accuracy and current consolidation unverified.",
  "text_sha256": "fa5de63099087b12f98b87bc9f78ca64296f543216fc431e1277b636eae1699d",
  "source_sha256": "fa5de63099087b12f98b87bc9f78ca64296f543216fc431e1277b636eae1699d",
  "text_version_id": "law:punjab-code-1ba3758faec7deef:sha256:fa5de63099087b12f98b87bc9f78ca64296f543216fc431e1277b636eae1699d",
  "quality_flags": [],
  "encoding": "UTF-8",
  "text": "GENERAL STATISTICS ACT, 1975 \r\n(LXIX of 1975)  \r\nCONTENTS \r\n1. Short title and commencement \r\n2. Definitions \r\n3. Statistical Council \r\n4. Functions of the Council \r\n5. Statistics Authority \r\n6. Competent Authority \r\n7. Statistical Agents \r\n8. Formulation of questionnaire etc \r\n9. Power to call for returns and informations \r\n10. Right of access to record or document \r\n11. Secrecy of answers, information and returns \r\n12. Penalty for refusal of answer questions, etc \r\n13. Penalty for obstructing statistical agents, etc \r\n14. Penalty for giving or furnishing false answers information or returns \r\n15. Penalty for improper disclosure of information etc \r\n16. Prosecution under other laws \r\n17. Sanction for the prosecution \r\n18. Jurisdiction \r\n19. Act not to authorize collection of certain information or statistics \r\n20. Power to make rules \r\n21. Power of Federal Statistics Authority to issue directions \r\nTEXT \r\nGENERAL STATISTICS ACT, 1975 \r\n(LXIX of 1975) \r\n[17th November, 1975] \r\nAn \r\nAct \r\nto constitute certain authorities for the collection and coordination of statistics \r\nfacilitate economic and other planning. \r\nWHEREAS it is expedient to constitute certain authorities for the collection \r\nand coordination of statistics to facilitate economic and other planning and to provide \r\nfor matters connected therewith or incidental thereto; \r\nIt is hereby enacted as follows:– \r\n1. Short t itle, extent  and com mencement.– 1. This Act may be called the \r\nGeneral Statistics Act, 1975 \r\n(1) It extends to the whole of Pakistan. \r\n(2) It shall come into force on such date as the Federal Government may, \r\nby notification in the official gazette, appoint. \r\n2. Definitions.– In this Act, unless there is anything repugnant in the subject or \r\ncontext,– \r\n(a) “appropriate Government” means,– \r\n(i) in relation to the Federal Statistics Authority or any matter \r\nrelating to the collection and compilation of statistics for the \r\nwhole of Pakistan, the Federal Government, and \r\n(ii) in relation to  a  Provincial Statistics Authority or any matter \r\nrelating to the collection and compilation of Statistics for a \r\nProvince or a part thereof the Provincial Government; \r\n(b) “competent authority” means an authority or officers appointed under \r\nsection 6 to be a competent authority; \r\n(c) “Council” means the National Statistical Council or the Provincial \r\nStatistical Council constituted under Section 3; \r\n(d) “establishment” means a shop, commercial establishment, industrial \r\nestablishment, firm , company, private dispensary, maternity home, \r\nresidential hotel, restaurant, eating house, café, cinema, theater, \r\ncircus or other  place of public amusement or entertainment and such \r\nother establishments or class thereof as the Federal Government may, \r\nby notification in the official Gazette, declare to be an establishment \r\nfor the purposes of this Act; \r\n(e) “prescribed” means prescribed by rules made under this Act; \r\n(f) “statistical agen t” means any agency, authority or officer, appointed \r\nfor, or engaged in, the collection of statistics under this Act; and \r\n(g) “Statistics Authority” means the Federal Statistics Authority or a \r\nProvincial Statistics Authority appointed under Section 5. \r\n3. Statistical Council.– (1) For the whole of Pakistan, the Federal Gov ernment, \r\nand for a province a Provincial Government , may, by notification in the official \r\nGazette, constitute a Council to be called respectively the National Statistical Council \r\nand a Provincial Statistical Council consisting of such members, including a \r\nChairman, as it may appoint.  \r\n (2) The Chairman and members of the Council shall hold office during the \r\npleasure of, and on such terms and conditions as may be determined by the \r\nappropriate Government. \r\n (3) The Council shall regulate its own procedure. \r\n4. Functions of the Council .– The following shall be the functions of the \r\nCouncil:– \r\nNamely:– \r\n(a) to coordinate the functions of the Statistics Authorities and \r\ncompetent authorities and to advise them as to the ways and \r\nmeans of achieving efficient, adequate and prompt results; \r\n(b) to approve of the priorities for filling gaps in statistical data and, \r\nfor that purpose, to allocate functions to the Statistics \r\nAuthorities; \r\n(c) to draw up schemes for avoiding duplication in the formulation \r\nand execution of statistical programmes and to resolve \r\ndifferences in that respect; \r\n(d) to make competent advice and guidance available to Statistics \r\nAuthorities, competent authorities and statistical agents in the \r\nmatter of large-scale statistical operations and projects; \r\n(e) to ensure economic and efficient utilization of field services, \r\nmachine tabulation equipment and other scarce resources; \r\n(f) to promote research and training in statistics; and \r\n(g) to perform such other functions as the appropriate Government \r\nmay, from time to time, direct. \r\n5. Statistics Authority.– (1) For the whole of Pakistan the Federal Government, \r\nand for a province  the Provincial Government, may, by notification in the official \r\ngazette, appoint an officer to be called respectively the Federal Statistics Authority \r\nand the Provincial Statistics Authority. \r\n(2) A Statistics Authority shall, in accordance with such instructions as the \r\nCouncil may, from time to time give, perform the following functions, namely:– \r\n(a) drawing up specific statistical programmes to carryout the instructions \r\nof the Council; \r\n(b) appraising the quality of all statistics of national or regional importance; \r\n(c) Laying  down and approving forms and procedure for statistical \r\nenquiries and ensuring against any duplication and sub -standard data \r\ncollection; \r\n(d) standardization of concepts and definitions relating to statistics; \r\n(e) giving of advice and guidance to, and coordinating the functions of the \r\ncompetent authorities and the statistical agents; \r\n(f) making of recommendations to the Council relating to the standards of \r\ntraining of statisticians and statistical agents; \r\n(g) laying down the procedure for a continuing programme of in service \r\ninstitutional and foreign training; \r\n(h) periodical review of statistical progress on the basis of reports obtained \r\nfrom the competent authorities and the statistical agents; \r\n(i) giving of advice to the Federal Government, the Provincial Government \r\nand other authorities or persons on the use and relevance of available \r\nstatistics in relation to specific problems of economic policy; \r\n(j) identification of gaps in the National, Provincial or Regional statistical \r\nseries and submission for the consideration of the Council of proposals \r\nrelating to the  order of priority in filling such gaps; \r\n(k) appraisal and allocation of technical resources required for statistical \r\nprojects; \r\n(l) compilation and publication of data of general nature for national and \r\ninternational reference; and \r\n(m) such other functions as the appropriate Government may, from time to \r\ntime, direct. \r\n6. Competent Authority .– (1) The appropriate Government may, for the \r\npurpose of collection and compilation of statistics on any matter, appoint any \r\nauthority or officer to be a competent authority for the purposes of this Act. \r\n (2) In the exercise of its powers and performance of its functions under this \r\nAct, a competent authority shall be subject to the superintendence, direction and \r\ncontrol of the Statistics Authority appointed by the same appropriate Government by \r\nwhich it has been appointed. \r\n7. Statistical Agents.– The appropriate Government, and, if so empowered by \r\nthe appropriate Government, a Statistics Authority and a competent authority, may, \r\nfor the purpose of collection of statistics or information under this Act, appoint or \r\nengage such officers or persons as it may think fit. \r\n8. Formulation of questionnaire , etc.– (1) For the purpose of collecting \r\nstatistics on any matter, a Statistics Authority may, by notification in the official \r\nGazette, formulate such questionnaire as it may think fit, and a competent a uthority \r\nor a statistical agent appointed for the collection of such statistics may require any \r\nperson within its jurisdiction to give answers to such questionnaire and to such other \r\nquestions relevant thereto as may be necessary to elicit full answers to the \r\nquestionnaire. \r\n(2) Any person who is required to give answers to a questionnaire and \r\nother relevant questions under sub -section (1) shall give answers to the best of his \r\nknowledge and belief. \r\n(3) Nothing in this section shall authorize a Statistics Aut hority, a \r\ncompetent authority or a statistical agent:– \r\n(a) to require a woman to state the name of her husband or deceased \r\nhusband or any other person whose name she is by custom forbidden \r\nto mention; or \r\n(b) to insist on information of a purely private nature. \r\n9. Power to call for return s and information .– Without prejudice to the \r\nprovisions of section 8, a competent authority may, for the purpose of collecting \r\nstatistics for which it has been appointed, serve or cause to be served on any \r\nperson, by post or otherwise , a notice requiring him to furnish to such authority or \r\nperson in such manner, at such time or intervals and in such form and with such \r\nparticulars, such information or returns as may be prescribed and a person served \r\nwith such notice shall accordingly furnish information or returns required thereby. \r\n10. Right of access to record or document .– (1) A Statistical agent shall, for \r\nthe purpose of collection of statistics for which he h as been appointed, have access \r\nto any relevant record or document in the possession of any person required to \r\nfurnish information or return under Section 9 and may, at any reasonable time after \r\ndue notice, enter any premises, house, vessel or other place w herein he believes \r\nsuch record or document to be and ask any person any question s necessary for \r\nobtaining any information required to be furnished by such person. \r\n(2) Every person owning or occupying any premises, house, vessel or land \r\nshall allow a statis tical agent such access thereto as he may reasonably require for \r\nthe purpose of collection of statistics for which he has been appointed and shall \r\nallow him to paint on, affix to or dig in the premises, house, vessel or land such \r\nletters, marks or objects as may be necessary for such purpose. \r\n11. Secrecy of answers, information and returns .– All answers to the \r\nquestions received and all information and returns furnished under this Act shall be \r\nconfidential and shall not be– \r\n(a) used for any purpose other than compilation of statistics under this Act; \r\n(b) published in a form which may disclose the state of affairs of any \r\nparticulars individual, firm or institution; \r\n(c) divulged, except with the written consent of the person answering the \r\nquestion or furnishing the information or return, to any person not \r\nconnected officially with the enquiry in relation to which the said \r\nanswers, information or returns have been called for; \r\n(d) accessible to the inspection of any person otherwise than for the \r\npurpose of prosecution for contravention of the provisions of this Act; or \r\n(e) disclosed to any person , or used or, notwithstanding anything \r\ncontained in the Evidence  Act, 1872 be admissible in evid ence in any \r\nproceedings to which the person giving the answer or furnishing the \r\ninformation or return is a party, except for the purpose of prosecution \r\nfor contravention of the provisions of this Act. \r\n12. Penalty for refusal to answer questions, etc.– Whoever, after he has been \r\ngiven due notice to answer any questionnaire or to furnish any information or returns \r\nunder this Act, willfully and without lawful excuse, refuses or fail to answer, to the \r\nbest of his knowledge and belie f, such questionnaire or other relevant questions \r\nasked of him by a statistical agent which he is legally bound to answer, or to furnish \r\nsuch information or returns, within the period specified in the notice or within the \r\nperiod allowed in a further notice  which shall be given to him by the authority which \r\ngave him the earlier notice, shall be punishable with fine which may extend to five \r\nhundred rupees and, in the case of an establishment, with a further fine which may \r\nextend to two hundred rupees for ever y day, after the first, during which the offence \r\ncontinues. \r\n13. Penalty for obstructing statistical agent s, etc .– Whoever, refuses a \r\nstatistical agent any right of access conferred by Section 10 or willfully obstructs him \r\nin the discharge of his duties under this Act or, before the collection of information or \r\nstatistics for which any letter, mark or object  was painted, affixed or dug on, to or in \r\nany premises, house, vessel or land, or, without lawful authority, removes, \r\nobliterates, alters or damages such letter, mark or object, shall be punishable,–  \r\n(a) In the case of an establishment, with imprisonment for a term which \r\nmay extend to three months , or with fine which may extend to one \r\nthousand rupees, or with both; and \r\n(b) In any other case, with fine which may extend to five hundred rupees. \r\n14. Penalty for giving or furnishing false answers , information or returns .– \r\nWhoever, willfully gives a false answer to a questionnaire or other relevant question \r\nor furnishes or causes to be furnis hed any information or return which he knows to \r\nbe false shall be punishable with fine which may extend to one thousand rupees in \r\nthe case of an establishment and five hundred rupees in any other case. \r\n15. Penalty for impr oper disclosure of infor mation, etc.– Whoever, being \r\nengaged for or in connection with the collection of statistics under this Act, willfully \r\ndiscloses, otherwise than in the discharge of his duties or  for the  purposes of \r\nprosecution for contravention of any of the pr ovisions of this Act, any answer to a \r\nquestionnaire, or any information or the contents of any return, given or furnished \r\nunder this Act, shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to \r\nthree months, or with fine which may extend to one thousand rupees or with both. \r\n16. Prosecution under other law s.– Nothing in this Act shall be deemed to \r\nprevent any person from being prosecuted under any other law for the time being in \r\nforce for any act or omission which constitutes an offence under such other law. \r\n17. Sanction for the prosecution.– No prosecution for an offence under this Act, \r\nor for an act or omission which constitutes an offence under any other law, shall be \r\ninstituted except with the previous sanction of the appr opriate Government or of a \r\nperson authorized by it in this behalf. \r\n18. Jurisdiction.– No court inferior to that of a Magistrate of the first Class shall \r\ntry an offence under this Act. \r\n19. Act not to au thorize collection of certain infor mation or statistics .– \r\nNothing in this Act shall authorize the collection of statistics or of any information \r\nrelating to any work of defence, arsenal, navel, military or air force establishment or \r\nany other defence  factory, installation or establishment. \r\n20. Power t o make rules .– The appropriate Government may make rules for \r\ncarrying out the purposes of this Act. \r\n21. Power of Federal Statistics Authority to issue directions .– \r\nNotwithstanding anything contained in any other law for the time being in force, \r\nwhich provides for the collection of statistics, the Federal Statistics Authority may \r\nissue to any other authority functioning under any such law such directions as it may \r\nconsider necessary for the purposes of this Act.",
  "passage_offset_convention": "zero-based Unicode code points and UTF8 bytes; end exclusive",
  "passages": [
    {
      "passage_id": "law:punjab-code-1ba3758faec7deef:sha256:fa5de63099087b12f98b87bc9f78ca64296f543216fc431e1277b636eae1699d:chars-0-1768:d1fa0addf561dedaabfbcf157bd57c24e9f50a8a57b0814ff38d241ee04e4646",
      "character_start": 0,
      "character_end": 1768,
      "utf8_byte_start": 0,
      "utf8_byte_end": 1776,
      "passage_sha256": "d1fa0addf561dedaabfbcf157bd57c24e9f50a8a57b0814ff38d241ee04e4646",
      "reader_fragment": "p-0-1768-d1fa0addf561deda"
    },
    {
      "passage_id": "law:punjab-code-1ba3758faec7deef:sha256:fa5de63099087b12f98b87bc9f78ca64296f543216fc431e1277b636eae1699d:chars-1768-3490:2f98011774cd4aa0fa7afb343e31f4048ca54819299ae883212a9e8ee4359d26",
      "character_start": 1768,
      "character_end": 3490,
      "utf8_byte_start": 1776,
      "utf8_byte_end": 3531,
      "passage_sha256": "2f98011774cd4aa0fa7afb343e31f4048ca54819299ae883212a9e8ee4359d26",
      "reader_fragment": "p-1768-3490-2f98011774cd4aa0"
    },
    {
      "passage_id": "law:punjab-code-1ba3758faec7deef:sha256:fa5de63099087b12f98b87bc9f78ca64296f543216fc431e1277b636eae1699d:chars-3490-5217:00fd6d172ff0eb57c4891bcbf93b309cf14f00ed1fbcbaa03ca65b451c7f69cc",
      "character_start": 3490,
      "character_end": 5217,
      "utf8_byte_start": 3531,
      "utf8_byte_end": 5266,
      "passage_sha256": "00fd6d172ff0eb57c4891bcbf93b309cf14f00ed1fbcbaa03ca65b451c7f69cc",
      "reader_fragment": "p-3490-5217-00fd6d172ff0eb57"
    },
    {
      "passage_id": "law:punjab-code-1ba3758faec7deef:sha256:fa5de63099087b12f98b87bc9f78ca64296f543216fc431e1277b636eae1699d:chars-5217-7016:c0bcabed4b299ae9ae6963a9ae0b4bd40a6a1671dce3cf5e3910cc457681e451",
      "character_start": 5217,
      "character_end": 7016,
      "utf8_byte_start": 5266,
      "utf8_byte_end": 7067,
      "passage_sha256": "c0bcabed4b299ae9ae6963a9ae0b4bd40a6a1671dce3cf5e3910cc457681e451",
      "reader_fragment": "p-5217-7016-c0bcabed4b299ae9"
    },
    {
      "passage_id": "law:punjab-code-1ba3758faec7deef:sha256:fa5de63099087b12f98b87bc9f78ca64296f543216fc431e1277b636eae1699d:chars-7016-8806:b881b51aea24023d383a09829990f7ff7857d9b28017e0241d826e51e73e26a7",
      "character_start": 7016,
      "character_end": 8806,
      "utf8_byte_start": 7067,
      "utf8_byte_end": 8865,
      "passage_sha256": "b881b51aea24023d383a09829990f7ff7857d9b28017e0241d826e51e73e26a7",
      "reader_fragment": "p-7016-8806-b881b51aea24023d"
    },
    {
      "passage_id": "law:punjab-code-1ba3758faec7deef:sha256:fa5de63099087b12f98b87bc9f78ca64296f543216fc431e1277b636eae1699d:chars-8806-10590:96df38bcedee73b5917c568ac31a442f79293cafb396d21a141655f2e2ff4cdf",
      "character_start": 8806,
      "character_end": 10590,
      "utf8_byte_start": 8865,
      "utf8_byte_end": 10655,
      "passage_sha256": "96df38bcedee73b5917c568ac31a442f79293cafb396d21a141655f2e2ff4cdf",
      "reader_fragment": "p-8806-10590-96df38bcedee73b5"
    },
    {
      "passage_id": "law:punjab-code-1ba3758faec7deef:sha256:fa5de63099087b12f98b87bc9f78ca64296f543216fc431e1277b636eae1699d:chars-10590-12358:a34b5cc18413d1d1476d0a5390e9230dd15859ae4aad6f65899d660966bf140a",
      "character_start": 10590,
      "character_end": 12358,
      "utf8_byte_start": 10655,
      "utf8_byte_end": 12427,
      "passage_sha256": "a34b5cc18413d1d1476d0a5390e9230dd15859ae4aad6f65899d660966bf140a",
      "reader_fragment": "p-10590-12358-a34b5cc18413d1d1"
    },
    {
      "passage_id": "law:punjab-code-1ba3758faec7deef:sha256:fa5de63099087b12f98b87bc9f78ca64296f543216fc431e1277b636eae1699d:chars-12358-14155:b911e7f01b14ce4df36c89f8ae1f1c17eb6608722e287bbeec7c173d5171d207",
      "character_start": 12358,
      "character_end": 14155,
      "utf8_byte_start": 12427,
      "utf8_byte_end": 14232,
      "passage_sha256": "b911e7f01b14ce4df36c89f8ae1f1c17eb6608722e287bbeec7c173d5171d207",
      "reader_fragment": "p-12358-14155-b911e7f01b14ce4d"
    },
    {
      "passage_id": "law:punjab-code-1ba3758faec7deef:sha256:fa5de63099087b12f98b87bc9f78ca64296f543216fc431e1277b636eae1699d:chars-14155-15713:ffef12142c80935f2e57b9eac19e0258dc33d85c940c91e9431a15d4d90192bb",
      "character_start": 14155,
      "character_end": 15713,
      "utf8_byte_start": 14232,
      "utf8_byte_end": 15802,
      "passage_sha256": "ffef12142c80935f2e57b9eac19e0258dc33d85c940c91e9431a15d4d90192bb",
      "reader_fragment": "p-14155-15713-ffef12142c80935f"
    }
  ]
}