Zubair Qureshi
Inclusion of family planning and population welfare indicators in political parties manifestos is a marker for political leadership to implement these commitments when in power to improve development indicators in the country.
This was said by ex-Senator and a veteran politician of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) at a Consultative Dialogue on, “Prioritizing Population Issues and Family Planning in Political Parties Manifestos” organized by the Population Council.
The consultative dialogue was attended by the members of of all major political parties including Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N), Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Pakistan Tahreek-e- Insaf (PTI), Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), Balochistan National Party (BNP), Balochistan Awami Party (BAP), Jamaat-i-Islami (JI), and Awami National Party (ANP). In her welcome remarks, Dr. Zeba Sathar, Country Director Population Council stated that it is important to align manifestos of political parties with Council of Common Interests (CCI) national action plan 2018 to reduce Pakistan’s rapid population growth rate. “We count on political party’s interest and support to ensure that sustainable population growth gets the due importance in parties’ manifestoes and is reflected as a cross sectoral issue affecting Pakistan’s developmental targets”, added Dr. Sathar.
The Population Council cited national data on the cross-sectoral impact of rapid population growth on Pakistan’s development indicators and stressed the need for sustained political commitment to achieve population stabilization in Pakistan.
Sadia Khaqan Abbasi, Senator PML-N, stressed the importance of mass awareness campaigns on family planning issues and said political parties should lead from the front. Poorest sections of the society must be targeted though comprehensive family planning programs in the country.
Former deputy speaker of Khyber Pakhtukhwa Assembly, Mahmood Jan emphasized to build a consensus to tackle rapid population growth beyond party lines and reiterated his party’s commitment to prioritise population planning for well-being of the people of Pakistan. Balochistan Minister for Finance and Food, Zmarak Khan (ANP) quoted the example of Bangladesh where religious leaders led the process of achieving sustainable population growth through their sermons. He also suggested redefining of NFC award which heavily depends upon population size and disincentivize smaller provinces to lower their fertility rate. Emphasizing the importance of mother and child health, former member of Balochistan Assembly and Deputy Secretary General Women wing of Jamaat-i-Islami, Samina Saeed said mass awareness on birth spacing which also has religious endorsement must be propagated.
