The staggering increase in population of Pakistan over the years has become one of the major causes for socioeconomic and environmental problems, underlining the need for efficient and quick implementation of family planning schemes.
With each passing day, the country’s limited resources are becoming insufficient to cater the growing needs of the citizens. If population grows in the same ratio, it is estimated that the country’s population would exceed to 400 million in 20 years. The country would become the third most populous in the world by 2050.
One of the main reasons for uncontrolled population growth rate in the country is illiteracy – people lacking awareness about the economic distress caused by high birth rate. It is said that the country’s population is increasing at rate of 2.3 per cent.
After the 18th amendment, the population department has become a provincial subject. However, the federal government will closely work with the provinces in order to control the population growth.
Director Research and Training, Population Welfare Department, Punjab, Afsha Tahir said, “Pakistan’s rapidly growing population rate and number of births every year can only be controlled by efficient and quick implementation of the provincial population policy for family planning in the overpopulated country.”
<img class=”aligncenter size-full wp-image-466636″ src=”http://cache.pakistantoday.com.pk/growth_cartoon.gif” alt=”growth_cartoon” width=”475″ height=”249″></img>Raja Shafique, a working Journalist based in Islamabad said, “If the government does not come up with a strategy to control the population growth, soon the country will face serious repercussions as the limited resources wouldn’t be able to cater the increasing demand of its citizens.”
Afsha Tahir said a policy had been formulated and its draft sent to cabinet for approval, adding that in order to access grass root, the family welfare schemes would be forwarded to each Union Council for implementation. The focus of the department was on healthy timing and pregnancy spacing of mothers, she added.
Among others, some of the leading factors responsible for overpopulation: The death rate has sharply come down from 28 per thousand populations in 1951 to 7.1 in 2006-07 while the culture of early marriages increase the reproductive span.
The belief and joint family systems, polygamy, resistance in population control drive, the influx of refugees and the concept of extended families as a source of power are responsible for high growth of the population.
Director, PWD, Punjab, said, “A total of 118 centres have been established in the province including clinical training centres, adolescent health centres, and other training institutions for creating awareness among the masses about family planning.”
<img class=”aligncenter size-large wp-image-466638″ src=”http://cache.pakistantoday.com.pk/favela-brazilian-slum-640×360.jpg” alt=”favela-brazilian-slum” width=”640″ height=”360″></img>Private Secretary, Population Welfare Department, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Muhammad Ibrahim Khan said, the draft of the provincial population policy has been finalized and sent to cabinet for approval. The department has set up 662 Family Welfare Centres (FWC) across the province for training and creating awareness, he added.
The contraceptive prevalence rate in the country is only 35 per cent of the total population and the provincial health and population welfare department has no access to 20 per cent of those married couples who wish to benefit from access to contraception.
Muhammad Asad, a resident of Sector G/7 Islamabad said, “The age of marriage for a girl should be at least 18 years.” He urged the government to make family planning a part of its priorities list and carry out a fresh population census, which has not been undertaken by any government since 1998.
Shaukat Dab, a college teacher in Islamabad asked the authorities concerned, “If Bangladesh and China can control the burgeoning populations of their countries, why Pakistan can’t?
Muhammad Ibrahim said, “The religious leaders, family welfare workers and male social mobilizers are being trained for creating awareness among the masses about the importance of family planning for a healthy family.
Overpopulation as a leading national issue needs coordinated efforts on part of media outlets, civil society activists, relevant officials, and religious scholars to bring positive change and an end to the social stigma against contraceptives. The national and provincial population policies should also be implemented in for controlling the population growth.