QUETTA - Senator Samina Mumtaz Zehri on Thursday stressed on revolutionary measures to control stem population growth. She was addressing a ceremony on the occasion of World Population Day. She said that the population of Pakistan was constantly increasing rapidly and Pakistan could not afford such a rapid increase.  Even in terms of the current population, Pakistan has a severe shortage of resources and not all citizens of Pakistan are able to utilize these resources properly, she noted.  She said that resources are scarce in the country and the government needs to use all options to make the people aware about the continuous increase in population. Senator Samina Mumtaz Zehri said that at present the world’s population has crossed 8 billion saying that countries around the world are prioritizing the respective populations according to their available resources. Senator Samina Mumtaz Zehri said that according to statistics, Pakistan is the 33rd largest country in the world in terms of area while Pakistan is the fifth largest country in the world in terms of population. She said that growing population, health, employment, education, climate change and depleting water resources and national security are major threats.  “We need to raise awareness and for that all schools of thought have to play their part in which our religious leaders and media can play a very important role along with government and other institutions”, she maintained. She said that the economy can ensure a stable and sustainable social life. The Senator expressed concern that if we do not control the population, Pakistan’s population is likely to double in the next 30 years, which is a lot adding that  it can be a big economic risk for the country.

 

 

 

According to statistics, the maternal mortality rate in Pakistan is 186 per hundred thousand. Raising awareness in all walks of life is an important need of the hour for family planning in Pakistan.

Senator Samina Mumtaz Zehri said that the reason for the rapidly growing population is the lack of serious attitudes, misunderstandings at the grassroots level, lack of trained health workers and other challenges including communication gap.