Call for national emergency on population growth
Lawmakers from across the country have urged the government to declare Pakistan's rapid population growth a national emergency and integrate population welfare into all development and policy frameworks.
The call came during the 14th Meeting of the Parliamentary Forum on Population, organized by the Population Council in collaboration with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). Participants stressed that Pakistan's progress hinges on ensuring universal education, improving reproductive health services, and empowering local governments to implement family welfare programmes at the grassroots level.
Federal Minister for Law and Justice Azam Nazeer Tarar, who was chief guest at the event, said the issue of population needed "open and candid dialogue."
"Islam promotes rational thought and responsible action, and our Constitution is rooted in the welfare of humankind," he said. "It is time to reignite momentum for population stabilisation and declare an emergency on population, health, and education to secure Pakistan's future."
The parliamentarians called for revising the National Finance Commission (NFC) Award to eliminate incentives favouring population growth and instead reward provinces for progress in education, health, and population stabilization.
They welcomed the Council of Islamic Ideology's (CII) endorsement of birth spacing, saying it aligns with Islamic teachings on safeguarding the health and wellbeing of mothers and children. Lawmakers urged greater engagement with religious scholars to promote awareness of the Islamic permissibility of family planning.
Dr Zeba Sathar, Country Director of Population Council Pakistan, said that progress would remain limited unless population stabilisation was treated as a national emergency.
"We must move from dialogue to implementation through a national task force that coordinates across provinces and holds all actors accountable," she said. "Education, particularly for girls, remains the foundation of sustainable population management."
Dr Saira Afzal Tarar, Coordinator to the Chief Minister Punjab on Population, said unchecked population growth underpins many of Pakistan's challenges.