As is the case in many other countries, mortality has been
undergoing substantial, though not precisely understood, changes in
Pakistan. In the absence of a reliable and adequate system of vital
registration in the country, the precise measurement of these changes is
well nigh impossible. In Pakistan, an attempt to estimate levels of
fertility and mortality on a sample basis was made through the
Population Growth Estimation (PGE) project undertaken from 1962 through
1965 [5, 12]. Subsequently, another demographic survey, called the
Population Growth Survey (PGS), was initiated and carried out from 1968
through 1971 [13]. In the PGE a dual system of data collection was
utilized based on continuous (Longitudinal) registration and a periodic
(Cross-Sectional) survey. In the PGS, data were collected through
periodic surveys only. Data from the PGS have only recently been made
available to researchers. The present set of life tables is based on the
mortality statistics collected in 1968 and 1971 field operations of the
PGS.