Ulema and Media had vital role in educating the people about the family planning, President

President Dr Arif Alvi has underscored the need for concerted efforts for promoting family planning and checking the growing population of the country. He called upon all stakeholders to take measures for achieving the goals spelt out in the Action Plan on population. He expressed these views while chairing the 5th meeting of the Federal Task Force on Alarming Population Growth in Pakistan, at Aiwan-e-Sadr.
SAPM for National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination (NHSRC), Dr Faisal Sultan, CM Gilgit-Baltistan, Mr. Khalid Khurshid, Health Minister Sindh, Dr. Azhra Fazal Pechucho, Minister of Population Punjab, Col (r) Hashim Dogar Chairman Council of Islamic Ideology (CII), Dr Qibla Ayaz, Chief Secretary Punjab via video link, Provincial Secretaries of Punjab, KPK, Sindh, DG Population, Dr. Sabina Durrani, Country Director Population Council, Islamabad, Dr Zeba Sathar, Country Representative of UNFPA, technical experts and senior officials of federal and provincial governments attended the meeting.
Ministry of NHSRC gave a detailed presentation on the implementation status of decisions taken in the 4th Meeting of the Federal Task Force on Population. It was informed that the provincial governments were allocating more funds, enhancing the availability of contraceptives, raising awareness through media and training the human resource for family planning and population control. The chair was briefed that Ulemas, Khateebs and religious leaders were being engaged to promote healthy family during their sermons, particularly in the province of Punjab.
Addressing the meeting, the President said that the Ulema and Media had vital role in educating the people about the family planning in their sermons and talk shows. He advised the provincial governments to adopt an integrated approach and share their expertise, research and experiences with each other regarding their family planning strategy. The President lauded the Ministry of National Health Service Regulations & Coordination and UNFPA for organizing International Donors Conference.