Islamabad [Pakistan] December 3 (ANI): Pakistan is on the brink of a demographic disaster, experts warned at the conclusion of the Pakistan Population Summit, saying unchecked population growth is rapidly outpacing available resources. The two-day event gathered government officials, scholars and civil society leaders who described the trend as an “existential crisis” requiring urgent, coordinated reform, The Express Tribune reported.
Speakers urged a unified, cross-institutional approach to population management, warning the surge threatens healthcare, food and water security, the labour market, education infrastructure and urban sustainability. They said without decisive action many development gains could be nullified.
Information Minister Attaullah Tarar acknowledged that “the constitutional right to life is being eroded by an unsustainable population increase that heavily burdens maternal, neonatal, and reproductive health services.” He proposed forming a parliamentary committee, adopting a national charter on population control, and creating a multi-stakeholder working group to pursue comprehensive reforms. Tarar added that “religion does not obstruct family planning” and called for addressing mental health issues, including postpartum depression, within reproductive health discussions — a point that found broad agreement among participants.
Religious and legal scholars expressed rare consensus. Dr Raghib Naeemi, chairman of the Council of Islamic Ideology, said protecting life and lineage is a core objective of Shariah and endorsed birth spacing within Islamic principles. Ruet-e-Hilal Committee chairman Maulana Abdul Khabeer Azad called population management a “collective moral duty,” while Mufti Zubair Ashraf Usmani said Islam supports birth spacing for health reasons rather than out of fear of poverty. Legal expert Humaira Masihuddin urged greater inclusion of women in decision-making, stressing that women’s empowerment and education are central to addressing Pakistan’s population challenge. (ANI)
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