Provinces asked to set up ministries for population control

Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb said provinces should set up separate ministries to control the growing population.

She expressed these views at a reception held to mark the 70th anniversary of the establishment of the Population Council on Thursday.

The minister said the National Emergency Plan will be approved soon to address the ever-increasing population issue.

Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif has called a meeting of the national task force next week, she said adding that provinces will have representation in the task force.

"This year, the population of the world reached 8 billion and Pakistan’s population reached 23 million," said the minister. Pakistan's population, she said, increased from 30 million to 230 million in 75 years, and by 2030, it is expected to cross 263 million. By 2050, it is expected to touch 338 million, she added.

The minister further said Pakistan has become the fifth-largest country in the world in terms of population.

Speaking on the occasion, Population Council Country Director Dr Zeba Sathar expressed her commitment to the cause of sustainable population growth in Pakistan and said population planning is imperative to materialise the dream of a prosperous Pakistan.

In her video message, the Federal Minister for Climate Change Sherry Rehman said floods this year have brought to the fore the need to prioritise population issues.

“Women and children suffered the most in the tragedy that befell us, and it is important that vulnerable populations receive better housing conditions, their livelihoods are restored and protected,” she said. We must ensure women’s fundamental reproductive rights and that they receive better and more family planning, maternal and childcare services,” she added.

Former Senator and veteran politician Farhat Ullah Babar vowed to ensure his party’s support for population management in Pakistan. He said that Pakistan Peoples Party was committed to achieving population stabilisation and creating a balance between resources and people.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 2^nd, 2022.