Raising smaller families

Letter January 23, 2017
Hopefully, population growth can be curtailed as it has in China

KARACHI: We are impressed by Pakistan in its attempts to slow down population growth and display Islamic scholars’ photographs on printed pages of newspapers and magazines. This call by our religious leaders will surely appeal to our conservative population who, perhaps, were awaiting this message. Our population at Partition was approximately 33.5 million and has shot up to over 200 million in just a matter of 70 years, which is alarming.

Now, most middle class families have small families whereas people with limited income have larger families, which they cannot afford to feed and provide for. They cannot afford decent housing, good education and edible food for them. In Sri Lanka and Iran, populations are falling and they are giving incentives to a section of the people to produce larger families. Here in Pakistan, it is the opposite. Finally, a solution has come about. Hopefully, population growth can be curtailed as it has in China.

Navaid Husain

Published in The Express Tribune, January 23rd, 2017.

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