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March 29, 2024
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EditorialPopulation control

Population control

Global food hunger has only seen an unfortunate rise following the coronavirus pandemic, leaving many poor countries under the threat of famine – as many as 811 million people still go hungry every day. Pakistan a growing economy is also faced with the challenge of an ever-growing population that stands at around 216 million people. It must be noted that many experts consider this figure to be understated owing to the discrepancies that occurred during the Censes 2017. Nonetheless, amid the pandemic and rising food prices due to the inflated cost in the global market of commodities, such as, wheat, sugar and flour, average citizens are faced with a smaller purchasing basket. This means that many either go hungry or can only afford one meal a day. While the government welfare initiatives, such as ‘Koi Bhooka Na Soye’ under the Ehsaas poverty alleviation initiative along with the work of independent charitable organisations, has helped to some extent, but the mouths to feed are many and only keep increasing. In this respect, Prime Minister Imran Khan’s focus on family planning and population control is much appreciated. During a recent ceremony, the premier said that “if the population explosion continued, the country might face famine and poverty in the years to come.”

In order to keep a check on the growing population, PM Imran Khan suggested enhancing education levels and primary healthcare facilities. It is unfortunate that family planning is still considered a taboo in many of the country’s conservative quarters. But this attitude has only cost us adversely. Crop production that was once enough to feed the populace, now faces a shortage resulting in the need to import. This is not to say that a rise in imports of commodities, such as, wheat, have not been due to a failure in our agriculture policies, but a growing population has also added to the woes. Thus, the premier and his governance need to devise a pragmatic approach to advocate for family planning. Other stakeholders, such as, religious scholars should also be involved. Afterall, many individuals cite religious reasons for a reluctance to plan their families. Moreover, family planning methods, such as, contraceptives should be made easily available even at far-flung villages. It is a good start that the top leadership of the country has started talking about such a crucial issue. This focus should be directed towards the policy level as well.

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