ISLAMABAD – Federal Health Minister Mustafa Kamal has expressed concern over the rising number of HIV cases in Pakistan, stating that drug use and risky sexual behaviour associated with night parties in major cities are among the factors contributing to the spread of the virus.
Speaking at a joint meeting of the Senate Standing Committees on Human Rights and Health, co-chaired by Senators Samina Zehri and Amir Waliuddin, the minister made the remarks during discussions on the National Population Coordination and Reproductive Health Bill, 2026.
Kamal said that the use of drugs at night parties, followed by unsafe sexual activity among young people, has become a significant public health concern.
He noted that authorities were deeply worried about activities taking place at such gatherings and stressed the need for greater awareness and preventive measures to curb the spread of HIV.
The health minister also highlighted the government’s efforts to address Pakistan’s rapidly growing population. He said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has held several meetings on population control and is personally overseeing the issue. A committee comprising Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal, the finance minister and other senior officials is working on policy measures to tackle the challenge, he added.
Kamal criticized the current National Finance Commission (NFC) Award formula, noting that 82 percent of resource distribution is linked to population size. He argued that the existing mechanism inadvertently encourages provinces to increase their populations, whereas neighbouring countries allocate only about 17 percent of such funding based on population.
The minister further said the federal government, with the support of the prime minister and the finance minister, has eliminated taxes on contraceptives in the current budget to improve access to family planning services. He expressed hope that the move would help reduce annual population growth.
According to Kamal, Pakistan currently records approximately 6.7 million newborn births every year, underscoring the need for comprehensive population management and reproductive health policies.
