Population Surge Sparks Urgent Calls for National Consensus

Pakistan’s Population Summit concluded with a stark warning: the country is running out of time to align its demographic growth with national resources. Experts, political leaders, and scholars emphasized that unchecked population expansion is straining healthcare, food and water security, education, labour markets, and urban planning capacity.

Information Minister Attaullah Tarar opened the proceedings by stressing that the constitutional right to life is being undermined by the surge, which places immense pressure on neonatal, maternal, and reproductive health. He called for a parliamentary debate, a national charter, and a working group to drive reforms, noting that recognizing population growth as a national challenge is the first step toward solutions.

Importantly, Tarar clarified that religion poses no barrier to family planning. He urged that mental health, including postpartum depression, must be part of the conversation.

Religious scholars echoed this stance. Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) Chairman Dr Raghib Naeemi stated that protecting life and offspring is a core objective of Shariah, and scholars agree on the permissibility of birth spacing. Ruet-e-Hilal Committee Chairman Maulana Abdul Khabeer Azad described managing population as a collective responsibility, while Mufti Zubair Ashraf Usmani explained that Islam does not support limiting births out of fear of poverty but allows spacing when health is at risk.

Legal expert Humaira Masihuddin added that stronger women’s representation in decision-making is essential to tackling the crisis.

The summit closed with renewed appeals for national consensus, women’s empowerment, and stronger centre-province coordination, underscoring that Pakistan’s demographic challenge is not just a health issue but an existential one requiring immediate, unified action.