July 12, 2008	Saturday	Rajab 8, 1429

ISLAMABAD, July 11: Pakistan plans to reduce the annual rate of population growth to 1.55 per cent from 1.8 per cent over five years.

This was the gist of speeches at the ‘National Population Day Convention’ presided over by Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani here on Friday. The Prime Minister’s Secretariat auditorium was packed with federal ministers, legislators, diplomats and bureaucrats.

This was the first such gathering at the PM House after security agencies advised Mr Gilani to restrict his public activities and functions in the secretariat to avert security threats.

Highlighting the Population Welfare Programme, the prime minister said the government would provide adequate budgetary support and political backing for the success of population control projects.

US Ambassador Anne Patterson presented findings of the 2006-2007 Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey and assured her country’s continued financial support for Pakistan’s social sector programme.

She said that the US had provided $2.8 million for the demographic survey according to which child bearing ratio in Pakistan was 4.1 per woman. “This is very high and it needs to be further reduced.” According to the survey report, 276 maternal deaths in every 1,000 births also needed to be brought down to a “reasonable level”.

“The report offers a solid foundation for making profound changes to the way that people in Pakistan receive healthcare services,” said the ambassador.

“Pakistan’s dedicated public health professionals will be able to draw upon the Demographic and Health Survey to identify where the needs are greatest and to make sure that government programmes meet those needs.”

“It is obvious that in a developing country like Pakistan, a net addition of 2.9 million people every year will nullify and eat up all achievements in socio-economic sectors,” she said.

The prime minister cited a statement of Benazir Bhutto made at the International Conference on Population and Development in Cairo in 1994: “I dream of a Pakistan, of an Asia, of a world, where every pregnancy is planned, and every child conceived is nurtured, loved, educated and supported.” The demographic and health survey shows some healthy trends with 63 per cent of women in reproductive age not favouring additional children.

The report cited Muslim countries like Iran, Tunisia, Morocco and Bangladesh as success stories in population planning and urged Pakistan to emulate their examples.

It termed lack of education as one of major factors responsible for population explosion and high illiteracy among women, which posed a formidable challenge to the managers of population welfare programmes.

“Unless infant mortality is drastically reduced, people will continue to have more children for the current infant mortality rate is unacceptably high, especially when the majority of these deaths are preventable.”

Prime Minister Gilani said Pakistan was ranked as the sixth most populous country of the world with almost 60 per cent of the population below the age of 25, adding that with existing fertility transition, the country could have a more favourable age structure, fewer dependents and more young adults in the working age population.

Steps, such as establishment of more family welfare centres, reproductive health centres at the tehsil level, and male workers in every union council, were suggested to promote reproductive health and family planning.