Bahrain Minister to Be Questioned on Population Jump, GDN Says

Bahrain Minister to Be Questioned on Population Jump, GDN Says

By Abdulla Fardan

April 24 (Bloomberg) -- Bahrain's minister of cabinet affairs, Sheikh Ahmed bin Ateyatalla al-Khalifa, will be questioned by lawmakers over allegations he impeded the country's development by concealing population statistics that showed an influx of foreigners, the Gulf Daily News said.

Sheikh Ahmed, a member of the royal family who heads the state's Central Informatics Organization, is accused by members of Parliament of keeping secret the fact that Bahrain's population had soared to more than 1 million, the newspaper said.

In response to the allegations, the organization released figures in February showing the population jumped 41 percent to 1.05 million in 2007, from 742,561 a year earlier, as the number of foreigners in the country almost doubled. The organization didn't give an explanation for the increase. The size of the population was previously given after the 2005 census.

According to Bahrain law, the questioning may lead to a vote of no confidence in the minister.