ISLAMABAD: The first meeting of the Executive Committee of the National Population Council (NPC) agreed that rapidly growing population was a national emergency requiring urgent and coordinated action.
The meeting was held at the Planning Commission to examine implementation of measures aimed at advancing population planning and development by both stabilising population growth and capitalising on Pakistan’s demographic potential.
It was co-chaired by Planning and Development Minister Ahsan Iqbal and by Health Minister Mustafa Kamal, and brought together federal ministers and secretaries, provincial and regional ministers, and senior officials from all four provinces, AJK and GB.Addressing the meeting, Mr Iqbal noted that while the population growth rate had gradually declined to 2.4 per cent since 1980, it had risen again to 2.55pc in the 2023 census, describing the reversal as a matter of serious concern.
‘We have taken our foot off the brake and put it on the accelerator. This trend must be reversed,’ he remarked.
He emphasised that population figures were not merely statistics but were directly linked to Pakistan’s future, the well-being of its children and the sustainability of national resources.
He said that without balancing population growth with available resources, sustainable development and economic prosperity would remain difficult to achieve.
Explaining the economic implications, he observed that if the economy grew by 5pc while the population increased by 2.5pc, actual per capita growth would be reducedto just 2.5pc.
Mr Iqbal stressed that unchecked population growth would make it increasingly difficult to meet the country’s growing needs for education, healthcare, employment and basic facilities.
He pointed out that the existing National Finance Commission (NFC) award formula, which assigns 82pc weightage to population in resource distribution, created a contradiction by potentially encouraging population growth.
He called for linking the NFC award to development and sustainability indicators to encourage provinces that successfully maintained balanced population growth.
The NPC committee considered the draft National Health and Population Policy and the National Population Stabilisation Programme presented by the health ministry.
Provinces and regions were asked tonotify provincial population councils and executive committees, prepare costed implementation plans in line with the programme, and link missing data streams with the Contraceptive Logistics Management Information System to provide a comprehensive picture of the country’s contraceptive supply chain.
Benefits of birth spacing Meanwhile, a consultative dialogue convened by the Population Council in collaboration with the United Nations Population Fund brought together religious scholars, health experts and policymakers to discuss family well-being, maternal and child health, responsible parenthood and healthy birth spacing in the light of Islamic teachings.
Participants emphasised that birth spacing was a health intervention that protected mothers and children while strengtheningfamilies and communities.
In his remarks, Dr Ali Mohammad Mir, country director of the Population Council Pakistan, underscored the importance of engaging religious leaders in addressing maternal and child health challenges.
‘Every 37 minutes, a mother loses her life in Pakistan. Religious scholars can play a transformative role in guiding families and communities towards informed and responsible decisions,’ he said.
Ruet-i-Hilal Central Committee Chairman Maulana Abdul Khabeer Azad, the guest of honour, emphasised that protecting mothers and children was fully consistent with Islamic teachings.
Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) Chairman Allama Raghib Hussain Naeemi, the chief guest, said protecting mothers’ health, fulfilling children’s rights and strengthening families were responsibilities shared by parents and society.