Allah be praised - slow we may be, but we have at last arrived. After 55 years of deliberations, it has finally been established that the population of Pakistan is proliferating rabbit-like and that family planning (that coy euphemism for birth control) is of primary importance without which the country cannot survive.

We have finally a leader who is able to openly state that family planning is not anti-Islamic and to exhort the family planners of the country - including the evergreen Attiya Inayattulah - to get on with the job before it is too late. In no uncertain terms he has said that Pakistan cannot be pulled out of the poverty trap unless the birth rate drastically drops. We must only hope that he will stick to his words after the cock has crowed not twice but thrice.

For many years, our politicians and statisticians relied on the mythical figure of 128 million people of Pakistan until a few months ago when the chief election commissioner informed us that in actual fact we are 140 million strong. Wapda, our great power generator, which has its own means and objectives, has calculated the population to be nearer to 160 million souls, of which a good two-thirds are poverty-stricken and illiterate.

So, it would be safe to take a mean average and assume that we stand at a cool 150 million. Intelligent estimates have it that the growth rate is ten births per minute - 600 per hour, 14,400 per day, 5,256,000 per year. It is also estimated that the environment, the available drinking water, the lack of medical facilities help reduce the annual figure by a million or so who leave us with an addition of some 4,000,000 to accommodate each year, to feed, to keep healthy, to educate. Do we have the facilities? No. Each year, illiteracy overtakes literacy, ignorance overtakes enlightenment, poverty overtakes poverty. I would be very happy were some competent official, who knows what is what, be able to contradict and reduce these figures.

Now to those who govern and direct the lives of the 150 million. We have a confused and mangled constitution upon which to rely: efforts are now being made to somehow improve it. Just to take two articles of this document, 62 and 63, inserted by Zia-ul-Haq's PO 14 of 1985, which lay down the qualifications and disqualifications for those seeking election to our assemblies and senate, each candidate always being presumed to be a 'he'.

Surely, in view of our president's upholding of women's rights and political correctness, and the learning and knowledge of the chief constitutional amender, an overall correction in the Constitution should be made and 'he' wherever mentioned converted either into 'he/she' or 'a person'?

In Article 62 (qualifications for election), clause (1)(b) has been amended to allow for a joint electorate. Clause (c) has been added specifying that: "he, being a graduate, posseses a bachelor's degree in any discipline or any degree recognized as equivalent thereto by the University Grants Commission under the University Grants Commission Act 1974 (xxiii of 1974), or any other law for the time being in force." No loss of wisdom, for sure. But truly, by some process of manipulation all those who have held elected office from the year 1988 to 1999 should stand collectively disqualified, they being collectively responsible for the cruel losses incurred by the nation through their inordinate personal greed.

Clauses (d) and (e) of Article 62 stipulate with regard to a candidate for election that "he is of good character and is not commonly known as one who violates Islamic injunctions," and "he has adequate knowledge of Islamic teachings and practises obligatory duties prescribed by Islam as well as abstains from major sins." Such requirements "shall not apply to a person who is a non-Muslim, but such a person shall have a good moral reputation; and (i) he possesses such other qualifications as may be prescribed by Act of the Majlis-i-Shoora (parliament)." Should not these confusing irrelevancies be eliminated? As should be the utterly impossible to prove or uphold clause (f): "he is sagacious, righteous and non-profligate and honest and ameen." And since the 'ideology' of Pakistan has yet to be defined, clause (h) should also go: "he has not, after the establishment of Pakistan, worked against the integrity of the country or opposed the ideology of Pakistan. Provided that the disqualifications specified in paragraphs (d) and (e)."

An additional clause (2) has been added: "A person shall not be qualified or chosen against a seat in the Majlis-i-Shoora (parliament) reserved for technocrats unless he is the holder of a degree requiring conclusion of at least 16 years of education, recognized by the University Grants Commission or a recognized statutory body, as well as at least 20 years of experience, including a record of achievements at the national or international level."

In Article 63 (disqualifications), clause (g) disqualifies a person if "he is propagating any opinion, or acting in any manner prejudicial to the ideology of Pakistan, or the sovereignty, integrity or security of Pakistan, or morality, or the maintenance of public order, or the integrity or independence of the judiciary of Pakistan, or which defames or brings into ridicule the judiciary or the armed forces of Pakistan." This is a difficult one to enforce. It should be eliminated. The judiciary has been harshly criticized for over fifty years (it has on occasions even been subjected to justifiable ridicule), as have the armed forces who these days are being given an exceptionally rough deal by the press and media both at home and abroad.

New disqualifications have been added, with which none to whom they do not apply could possibly disagree: "(p) he has been proclaimed as an absconder, or convicted and sentenced to imprisonment for having absconded by a competent court under any law for the time being in force; or (q) has obtained a loan for an amount of two million rupees or more, from any bank, financial institution, cooperative society or cooperative body in his own name or in the name of the spouse or any of his dependents, which remains unpaid for more than one year from the due date, or has got such loan written off; or (r) he or his spouse or any of his dependents has defaulted in payment of government dues and utility expenses, including telephone, electricity, gas and water charges, for over six months, at the time of filing his nomination papers."

President General Pervez Musharraf is here to stay. 'I am not power hungry: Musharraf' screamed one press headline yesterday. For what does he need more power? We all know that many who surround him are weak or bigoted.

Since he is open to reason, and the voices from on high seem to have receded, he remains the best of all the worst options, and should thus be helped and encouraged to do right by the people of Pakistan.