Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday called Pakistan’s annual population growth speed of 2.55% an “alarming trend” and called for urgent and coordinated action to tackle the growing challenge, Associated Press of Pakistan reported.
The Prime Minister was chairman of a high -level meeting at the Prime Minister’s office and said the increasing numbers require a comprehensive national strategy to control population growth and ensure sustainable development.
“We need extensive planning to ensure that our growing population, especially youth, becomes a productive part of the economy,” said the prime minister, describing the country’s youth as its greatest asset.
Pakistan’s population, 31 million at the time of its independence in 1947, reached 241 million according to the census of 2023.
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According to projections in the UN World’s Population Views 2024 Report, Pakistan’s population is expected to reach the top in 2092 of 404.68 million people. The report also indicates that Pakistan’s population will surpass it in Indonesia by 2048 and reaches 331.29 million at that time.
Despite a declining fertility that has fallen from six living births per day. Woman in 1994 to 3.6, the country is expected to become the third most populous nation in the world in 2050, surpassing the United States, Brazil and Russia.
The Prime Minister noted that the government is actively working to strengthen young people and integrate them into the economic mainstream. “There are opportunities to enable our youth to play a key role in national development,” he added.
By emphasizing the need for greater gender information, PM Shehbaz highlighted the importance of women’s participation in the workforce. “Women make up a significant part of our human capital. We must ensure greater employment opportunities for them,” he said.
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To develop an effective national response, the Prime Minister instructed the formation of a political committee in coordination with provincial governments. “A unified and strategic reaction is the need of the hour,” he claimed, talking for a federal-province framework to tackle population-related concerns.
The premiere also called for a nationwide attention campaign to educate the public about the consequences of uncontrolled population growth, especially in terms of economic sustainability.
During the meeting, officials presented various political proposals that emphasized that long -term solutions would require provincial cooperation and grass roots.
The meeting attended Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal, Minister of Education Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, Minister of Information Attaullah Tarar, Minister of Religious Affairs Sardar Muhammad Yousaf, Attorney General Azam Nazer Tarar and other high -ranking officials.
