Islamabad, Dec. 3 (ANI) — Experts at the two-day Pakistan Population Summit warned that unchecked population growth is rapidly outstripping the country’s resources and could trigger a national collapse if not addressed through coordinated policy action. The event, attended by government officials, academics and civil society leaders, described the trend as an “existential crisis” that threatens health services, food and water security, the labor market, education systems and the sustainability of cities, The Express Tribune reported.
Speakers called for a unified, cross-institutional strategy to manage population growth and protect development gains. Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said the surge in numbers is undermining the constitutional right to life by overburdening maternal, neonatal and reproductive health services. He proposed creating a parliamentary committee, adopting a national charter on population control and establishing a multi-stakeholder working group to design and implement comprehensive reforms.
Tarar also argued that religious beliefs need not block family planning measures, saying “religion does not obstruct family planning,” and urged that mental health, including postpartum depression, be integrated into reproductive health programs — a view that received wide support at the summit.
Religious and legal authorities at the meeting voiced an unusually broad consensus in favor of managing population growth within Islamic principles. Dr. Raghib Naeemi, chairman of the Council of Islamic Ideology, framed protection of life and lineage as a Shariah objective and endorsed birth spacing on that basis. Maulana Abdul Khabeer Azad, chair of the Ruet-e-Hilal Committee, described population management as a “collective moral duty,” while Mufti Zubair Ashraf Usmani emphasized that Islam permits birth spacing for health reasons rather than out of fear of poverty.
Legal expert Humaira Masihuddin stressed the importance of empowering women and increasing their participation in decision-making, saying that women’s education and autonomy are central to any sustainable response to the demographic challenge.
Participants urged that policy responses be multi-pronged — combining health services expansion, family planning, education, urban planning and economic measures — and rely on cooperation across government, religious institutions and civil society.
(This report is based on a syndicated feed from ANI and was republished as received. The Express Tribune assumes no responsibility for the accuracy or completeness of the content.)
