ISLAMABAD: Unchecked population growth is closely linked to lack of family planning services, resulting in adverse effects on various aspects of national life, including high rates of malnutrition, infant, neonatal and maternal mortality.

This was stated by Minister of State for National Health Services (NHS) Dr Mahesh Kumar Malani at a parliamentary meeting on increasing investment in family planning for sustainable development.

The minister reaffirmed the government’s commitment to providing high quality family planning services to enhance the health of mothers and children.

Addressing parliamentarians, he emphasised the significance of population planning to achieve sustainable population growth.

“This objective can be accomplished by generating demand for family planning services and simultaneously expanding the fiscal space to enhance the quality and availability of such services,” he said.

Country Director of the Population Council Dr Zeba Sathar commended the commitment of parliamentarians from major political parties in reaching a consensus on the importance of population management which lies at the core of Pakistan’s development challenges.

She stressed the need to increase allocations to the Population Fund, which was approved by the Council of Common Interest (CCI) in 2018.

During a panel discussion on the National Finance Commission (NFC) Award, former senator Farhatullah Babar said: “The 82pc weightage given to population in the NFC Award creates a narrative that supports population increase. When political and economic power is predominantly distributed among federating units based on population size, it not only marginalises smaller federating units but also incentivises population growth. This weightage is the highest in the world.”

Senator Mushahid Hussain Syed said: “The threat to Pakistan’s security is not only external but also stems from the unsustainable increase in population and environmental degradation within our borders.”

Senator Taj Haider emphasised the need to enhance public-private partnerships to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of delivering family planning services.

Hina Pervaiz Butt suggested using social media to educate couples about balancing the family size and available resources.

Published in Dawn, June 13th, 2023