A two-day national conference on ‘resilient Pakistan calibrating population and resources’ started on
Friday. The event is being organized by the Population Program Wing of the Ministry of Health Services, Regulations and Coordination in collaboration with the La
w and Justice Commission of Pakistan. The Hon’ble Judges of the Supreme Court, High Courts, Supreme Court and High Court of Azad Jammu & Kashmir, Supreme Appellate and Chief Court of Gilgit-Baltistan, emi
nent national and international experts, members from academia, population and public policy professionals, and legal fraternity has attended the Conference.
In opening remarks, Secretary, La
w and Justice Commission of Pakistan, Riffat Inam Butt, said that Pakistan is facing a rapid population growth crisis with significant socio economic implications and a direct bearing on national security. The alarming population growth is rapidly curtailing the available resources and creating problems like water scarcity, energy consumption, dearth of jobs, conflict and insecurity, healthcare and education, unavailability of basic necessities and environmental issues, and thus, affecting the quality of ‘life’. The Secretary further remarked that the population of a country can either become an asset through effective planning and management or it can transform itself into a severe problem causing governance, economic, political, social and environmental issues, if left unchecked, and emphasized upon the need to create balance. Dr. Luay Shabaneh, Country Representative, United Nations Fund for Population (UNFPA) also addressed on the occasion and emphasized upon the need to take collective measures with participation of all the stakeholders including the civil society. Iftikhar Shallwani, Secretary M/o National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination stated that the countries which were for behind us have surpassed in pace of development by strict implementation of policies.
Inaugural session was presided over by the Chief Justice of Pakistan/Chairman, La
w and Justice Commission of Pakistan. The Chief Justice of Pakistan started his speech by quoting a verse from the Holy Quran emphasizing upon good family life and further enlightened on the centrality of justice and role of law in a society and to need to protect the fundamental rights and fair aspirations of the general public. The Chief Justice stated that the South Asia region Bangladesh has been successful in calibrating the demographic trends and social indicators. However, Pakistan is
suffering from rapid population growth which has left it vulnerable to social and economic pressures. Two Sessions of the Conference were held today which discussed and reviewed the progress made by the federal and provincial departments, Gilgit-Baltistan, Azad Jammu & Kashmir and the civil society organizations on the recommendations of the Task Force constituted in 2019 and the National Action Plan. Presenters also hared regional and international population growth, policies developed by the various countries in population management and balancing of rescores. For sharing of international experiences discussion on lessons for Pakistan, Dr. Samukeliso Dube, Executive Director FP 2023, Washington, Monica Kerrigan, demographer Muhammad Jalal Abbasi from Iran, and Dr. Touseef Ahmed, Technical Ad
viser UNFPA share their thoughts.
The other Sessions of the Conference will continue on Saturday, 15th July, 2023 which will cover the demographic dimensions suggesting the way forward, and pathway to economic social cohesion, the last Session will cover women empowerment.
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