The government needs to utilise the funds allocated for population control on the provision of education, health and just distribution of national resources, as multibillion rupees spending on population control over the decades has failed to produce the desired results.
It was the consensus among the speakers at a seminar organised by the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) here on Wednesday. The speakers observed that real cause of the poverty and economic backwardness of Pakistan is not the growing population but the hold of the oppressive ruling elite, inequitable distribution of wealth, corruption and absence of an effective accountability system.
A joint declaration adopted at the moot chaired by Emir JI Siraj-ul-Haq and addressed by finance experts, politicians, religious scholars, writers and ladies, said that at a time when the United Nations is worried over low rate of population growth in as many as 94 countries of the world and is advising them to increase their population, the bureaucracy, the non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and the government circles in the country are talking of population control in this country.
The JI chief in his address said that concept of population control is the ideology of international terrorists. It was the idea of the Egyptian Pharaoh who had put to death countless newborns thousands of years ago. He added that the idea of population control has also failed in countries like China. He said on one hand it is being argued that the state has no right to interfere in the personal affairs of the individuals while on the other, the state is trying to control child birth.
Haq said that European countries are facing serious low population issues while population in Muslim regions is growing, despite all the efforts Western governments have been failed to convince their subjects to have more than two kids as a result now they are feared that in coming years the regions with fast population growth will takeover their countries. He said that therefore the western countries are providing huge funding to population control programmes in countries like Pakistan.
He suggested the government that instead of wasting national resources on population control, utilise these funds for the growth of agriculture sectors, provision of social services to the people, health, education and speedy justice to the masses.
The participants of the seminar observed that the rise in abortions has given birth to serious problems for the mothers' health while the free availability of the contraceptives and related material and drugs has created serious moral problems.
It said that Islam due to its concern for mothers' health has advised mothers to provide suckling to their babies for two years period. Similarly, in view of the mother's health, the parents are at liberty to decide a gap between their children. However, it said, the state has no right to interfere in such matters.
The seminar called upon the government to give up its population control policy, instead prepare viable plans for making the youth an effective tool of progress and productive force for the country.
In this regard, it called for doing away with the feudal system and reducing the gap between the haves and the have-nots. It also called for improving the health facilities in the country, making efforts to raise agricultural production, increasing exports and stabilising the cottage and small and medium industry. The moot stressed for doing away with the interest-based economic system and adopting the Islamic economic system in the country.
The speakers included Secretary General JI Liaqat Baloch, former Finance Secretary Dr Waqar Masud, Dr Hammad Lakhvi, Khwaja Moeen ud Din Koreja, Dr Samiha Raheel Qazi, Dr Kausar Firdaus, Asadullah Bhutto Advocate, senior Advocate Khan Muhammad Afzal Khan, writers Aamir Khakwani, Dr Anwar Khan and Dr Farid Ahmed Piracha.
The declaration said that the real cause of economic backwardness is not the population, but the unjust distribution of resources. It said that resources are also created by Almighty Allah Who is the best planner of the population. It is Allah who best knows how many men and women are required in a society and what should be the ideal ratio between them as well as what should be the formula of birth and death in any society.
The declaration said that as a result of human interference in this natural system, numerous social evils got roots. Due to efforts for population control, the working and the youth force has continuously decreased. It noted that in 1990, the number of people above 60 years was 500 million which rose to 960 million in 2017 and it is estimated to increase to 1,400 million in the year 2030.
Comments
Comments are closed.