ISLAMABAD, Aug 13 (APP): The National Assembly on Wednesday passed a resolution calling for urgent and comprehensive action to bring down Pakistan’s population growth rate to sustainable levels, ensuring alignment with the country’s renewable and non-renewable resources.
The resolution, moved by Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians (PPPP) central leader Syed Naveed Qamar, highlighted the alarming findings of the 2023 Population and Housing Census. Lawmakers expressed concern over the high growth rate’s impact on the state’s ability to provide essential services such as education, healthcare, housing, and employment.
It was noted that the rapid population increase has placed severe pressure on natural resources, undermined sustainable development, deepened inequalities, and worsened climate-related challenges.
The resolution reaffirmed that every individual and couple has the right to decide the number and spacing of their children responsibly, provided they are informed and supported to maintain a family size consistent with available resources and a dignified standard of living.
Lawmakers stressed that lowering the growth rate is vital to achieving national development goals, strengthening human capital, and ensuring equitable opportunities for all.
The House resolved that the federal government, in collaboration with provinces, will expand access to reproductive health information and services, make them affordable for low-income communities through social protection programs, and improve service quality, especially in underserved rural areas.
