PM Shehbaz Sharif Calls for Population-Resource Balance
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday underscored the necessity of maintaining equilibrium between population growth and national resources to achieve sustainable development. Chairing a high-level meeting on population welfare in Islamabad, he warned that the country's rapidly expanding population is exerting increasing strain on resources and poses a significant obstacle to development.
National Population Council to Be Established
PM Sharif directed authorities to convene the inaugural meeting of the National Population Council at the earliest. He also instructed the finalization of the council's organizational structure without delay to ensure effective policymaking on population issues at the national level. The prime minister will personally lead the council, which will include the chief ministers of all four provinces, the prime minister of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, the chief minister of Gilgit-Baltistan, and other key stakeholders.
Linking Social Protection with Family Planning
The meeting was informed that social protection programs will be linked with family planning initiatives. Women's education and economic empowerment will form a key component of the population management strategy. An effective nationwide awareness campaign will be launched to promote balanced population growth, drawing lessons from successful population control programs in countries like Bangladesh, Indonesia, and Iran.
Implementation and Coordination
The briefing highlighted that the National Population Council, in collaboration with provincial governments, will help implement an effective nationwide population campaign. The council's secretariat will be established in the Ministry of Planning. The prime minister emphasized the need to align population planning with national development, economic stability, and human resource improvement.
