Govt pins hopes on Field Marshal Munir to tackle population growth

ISLAMABAD: After failing to control the population growth for over three years, the federal government has now pinned hopes on Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir to play a role in curbing the population growth rate. This was disclosed by Federal Health Minister Syed Mustafa Kamal during a joint meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on National Health Services and the Senate Functional Committee on Human Rights on Thursday. Jointly chaired by Senators Amir Waliuddin Chishti and Samina Mumtaz Zehri, the meeting was held to discuss Pakistan’s growing population and the need for coordinated policy reforms. It is worth mentioning that Pakistan is the fifth most populous country and by 2030 it is set to become fourth by surpassing Indonesia. Briefing the committee, the minister said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had convened several high-level meetings on population management and constituted a committee to address the issue. He said Field Marshal Munir was also a member of the committee, reflecting the government’s seriousness in tackling the rapid population growth. “The government is treating this issue with the highest priority and important policy decisions are being taken at every level, ” he said, adding that the finance and planning ministers were also members of the committee. The minister said population management required both government action and public participation. He argued that the current National Finance Commission (NFC) Award formula, under which 82 per cent of resource distribution was based on population, unintentionally incentivised provinces to have higher population growth. “If a province succeeds in reducing its population growth, its NFC share declines, whereas a province with a larger population receives more funds, ” he said, proposing that only 50pc of the NFC formula should be linked to population. The minister said one factor contributing to high birth rates had been the limited availability of contraceptives, adding that tax exemptions had now been granted on contraceptive products. He said Pakistan records around 6. 7 million births annually and estimated that wider access to family planning could reduce annual population growth by about 1. 5 million people. The committee members questioned whether population welfare remained a devolved subject following the 18th Constitutional Amendment. The minister confirmed that the subject had been transferred to the provinces, while lawmakers observed that federal decisions could not be imposed on provincial governments after devolution. The members called for legislation to curb unchecked population growth. However, representatives of the Ministry of Law informed the committee that parliament could not legislate on matters exclusively devolved to the provinces. A representative of the Council of Islamic Ideology told the meeting there was no sectarian disagreement on measures aimed at addressing rapid population growth. The committee directed the Ministry of Law, religious scholars and relevant parliamentary committees to hold consultations to develop a consensus-based strategy. Another joint meeting is expected in the coming days. Balochistan nursing scholarship Senator Jan Mohammad raised concerns about a scholarship programme under which 150 students from Balochistan were sent to Islamabad, including 47 nursing students admitted to the Health Services Academy. He alleged that the students spent two years in Islamabad before learning that the promised nursing degree programme did not exist and that the diploma being offered was not recognised by the Pakistan Nursing Council. He said the World Bank had already paid Rs36 million for the project and called for an investigation, alleging official negligence and terming it an injustice to Balochistan. Responding to the concerns, Mr Kamal assured the committee that the matter would be resolved within a week, saying the government would not allow injustice to students from Balochistan. The committee also called for the directors general of health and nursing in Balochistan to appear before it to explain the issue. The meeting was attended by Senators Quratul Ain Marri, Anusha Rahman Ahmed Khan, Shahzaib Durrani, Nasir Mehmood, Poonjo Bheel, Attaul Haq, Syed Masroor Ahsan and senior officials from the relevant ministries and departments. Published in Dawn, July 10th, 2026

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