KARACHI:
Presently, Pakistan has the sixth largest population in the world. Factors such as a high fertility rate, a lack of awareness and training and limited access to family planning services contribute to the nation’s rapid population growth. People are unaware of the economic issues brought on by a high birth rate because they are illiterate. Many people, particularly in rural areas, are unaware of family planning techniques and are reluctant to seek advice. Other significant contributing factors include the absence of knowledge about reproductive health and the appropriate use and accessibility of contraceptive methods — subjects that are still frowned upon in our culture.
Pakistan’s overpopulation has created several difficulties, including more competition for scarce resources, overworked infrastructure and pressure on public services. The layman will still give birth to more children believing that a miracle will feed his progeny despite his current brood not having slippers for the day. We must acknowledge the threat posed by overpopulation, which is depleting finite resources. Exhaustible natural resources like arable land, freshwater, fossil fuels and forests will continue to decline if the population keeps growing. This would lead to rivalry for essential resources needed to sustain life and a sharp drop in the standard of living.
The path Pakistan is currently pursuing offers no promising solutions. The population must be kept at a level that the state can sustain. Pakistan must prioritise population control and implement population planning in the national, religious and academic policies. The government must initiate targeted campaigns to educate the public about the detrimental consequences of overpopulation and the necessity of reducing it.
Anum Khadeja
Sukkur
Published in The Express Tribune, December 3rd, 2023.
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