ISLAMABAD: The Population Council has sought the help of religious scholars to help convince people that they should plan their families.

A declaration endorsing the use of all methods of birth control for family planning and birth spacing was signed by 43 religious scholars from all over the country. The scholars endorsed family planning in the interest of family health and well-being and avoiding maternal mortalities.

The scholars attended a meeting in the federal capital organised by the Population Council in collaboration with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).

The grand imam of the Badshahi Mosque Lahore Maulana Abdul Khabir Azad said some 14,000 mothers die because of pregnancy related complications.

“Repeated pregnancies are the reason so many women lose their lives,” he said.

“According to Islam, saving one life is akin to saving all of humanity,” he said.

He offered to provide support to the government and relevant departments in helping provide information and adopting measures which can help ensure the well-being of the family and society.

Minister of State for National Health Services Saira Afzal Tarar said religious leaders have a major role to play in helping governments improve the health conditions in the country.

“By using the mosque as a platform, religious leaders can highlight the importance of several social issues, especially those related to women and girls. In our society, the education and health of girls never takes precedence in a family and religious leaders can help change this,” she said.

Ms Tarrar said words of religious scholars hold value in the eyes of people. “People trust religious scholars who guide them in all aspects of life and can surely contribute to the well-being of families. Care for the family is proscribed in religion too,” she said.

UNFPA Deputy Representative Sarah Masale said the UNFPA has been engaging with faith-based organisations across the world and religious leaders seek their support in spreading awareness about responsible parenthood.

Population Council Country Director Dr Zeba Sathar said that a number of Muslim countries have achieved remarkable success in improving their health indicators by involving religious leaders in promoting health-related activities.

“Pakistani men are now keen on improving the health and well-being of their families and want to plan their families according to their financial resources so they can maintain and improve their living standards. However, there is confusion regarding Islam and the use of family planning,” she said.

Published in Dawn, July 2nd, 2015

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