June 1, 2006	Thursday	Jumadi-ul-Awwal 4, 1427

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ISLAMABAD, May 31: Islamic scholars from 19 Muslim countries have agreed on a plan of action to manage population growth through investment in health and education besides mainstreaming population issues into development processes, said Federal Minister for Population Welfare Chaudhry Shahbaz Hussain.

Talking to mediapersons on Wednesday, the minister said during the two-day deliberations the ulema also suggested to set up a forum of Muslim countries to discuss policies on population and development.

All member countries of the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) should be invited to the forum meetings which, they agreed, would be held on an annual basis at a mutually agreed time and location, the minister said.

A two-day follow-up meeting of the council on Islamabad Declaration on Population Development (IDPD) was organised by the ministry.

Following the IDPD, the minister said, an extensive plan of action was agreed during the meeting which underlined the formulation of a national council of religious scholars to advise and help in devising policies on population and development in the respective countries.

According to the plan of action, policies should be framed and integrated into development within social and cultural norms of a country to achieve population stabilisation.

Under the plan of action, sensitisation by regional and local opinion leaders, ulema, imams and khateebs will be done on importance of responsible parenthood and safe motherhood.

The provision of fertility care, management of total fertility rate, improvement of maternal and child health services and integration of demographics into socio-economic indicators were also part of the plan.