Pakistan urged to curb population surge

The Pakistan Population Summit closed on Tuesday with a warning that the country was running out of time to bring its demographic surge in line with national resources, as political leaders, experts and scholars called for a unified and cross-institutional response to a mounting existential crisis.

The two-day dialogue, organised by DawnMedia, ended with renewed appeals for national consensus, women's empowerment and stronger centre-province coordination as speakers warned that unchecked population growth was overwhelming Pakistan's health infrastructure, food and water security, education system, labour market and urban planning capacity.

Information Minister Attaullah Tarar opened the day's proceedings by warning that "the constitutional right to life was being undermined by a population surge that strains neonatal, maternal and reproductive health".

He said "accepting population growth as a national challenge was the first step towards solutions", urging a parliamentary debate, a charter on the crisis and a working group to drive reforms.

Tarar went on to stress that "religion posed no barrier to family planning and that mental health, including postpartum depression, must be recognised as part of the conversation."

A panel of religious and legal scholars backed this stance as CII Chairman Dr Raghib Naeemi stressed that "protecting life and offspring is a core objective of Shariah" and that scholars agree on the permissibility of birth spacing.

Ruet-e-Hilal Committee Chairman Maulana Abdul Khabeer Azad called managing population "a collective responsibility". Mufti Zubair Ashraf Usmani clarified that Islam "does not support birth limitation out of fear of poverty but allows spacing when health is at risk".

Legal expert Humaira Masihuddin demanded "stronger women's representation in decision-making".