The executive committee of the National Population Council (NPC) has agreed that rapid population growth is a national emergency that needs urgent, coordinated action across the federation and the provinces.
First Meeting of the NPC Executive Committee
The meeting was held on November 12 at the Planning Commission in Islamabad and was co-chaired by Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal and Health Minister Mustafa Kamal. Federal and provincial ministers, secretaries and senior officials from all four provinces, Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan attended.
Why Population Growth Is a National Emergency
Iqbal said the growth rate stood at 2.55 per cent in the 2023 census, calling the reversal after an earlier decline a serious concern. “We have taken our foot off the brake and put it on the accelerator,” he said. He explained that 5 per cent economic growth with 2.5 per cent population growth leaves per capita growth at only 2.5 per cent.
He also pointed to the National Finance Commission award, where population carries 82 per cent weightage, saying this could encourage population growth. He called for linking the award to development and sustainability indicators so that provinces with balanced growth are rewarded.
Decisions and Policy Plans
The committee considered the draft National Health and Population Policy and the National Population Stabilisation Programme prepared by the health ministry. Provinces and regions were asked to notify provincial population councils and executive committees, prepare costed implementation plans, and link missing data streams to the Contraceptive Logistics Management Information System.
In a separate birth-spacing dialogue convened by the Population Council with UNFPA, Population Council Pakistan country director Dr Ali Mohammad Mir said a mother loses her life in Pakistan every 37 minutes.
What the Population Growth National Emergency Means for Pakistan
Calling population growth a national emergency signals that the issue is now being treated as a core economic and social priority rather than a health-sector concern alone. The 2023 census counted about 241 million people, and a growth rate of 2.55 per cent adds millions more every year, which puts steady pressure on schools, hospitals, jobs, housing, water and energy.
Economists point out that when population grows faster than the economy, income per person barely moves even if the headline growth figure looks healthy. That is why officials link the population growth national emergency to the larger goals of jobs, exports and poverty reduction.
What Experts Say Can Slow Population Growth
Development researchers generally name a few measures that work together: wider access to family planning services, keeping girls in school longer, better maternal and child health care, and clear public awareness campaigns. Because health and education are provincial subjects, progress depends on the federal government and all four provinces acting together, which is the coordination this meeting set out to build.
At a Glance
- NPC executive committee calls rapid population growth a national emergency
- Growth rate was 2.55 per cent in the 2023 census
- Plan to link the NFC award to development indicators
- Provinces to prepare costed plans under the stabilisation programme
Read More: Delhi Overtakes Lahore as World’s Most Polluted City as Air Quality Drops
Follow the TaazaTaren channel for the latest updates.
