Population welfare programme: Senate body seeks Ulema's cooperation

The Standing Committee of the Senate on Population Welfare has called for associating Ulema, `Mashaikh' and community leaders with the population welfare programme to make it more effective. The committee met in Parliament House Tuesday with Senator Semeen Siddiqui in the chair.
Speaking on the occasion, Chairperson of the committee observed that presently the focus of Population Program is on female population. "But fact of the matter is that in our society, it is the males that make vital decisions like size of the family etc. Therefore, there is a need to make the program all encompassing and broad based," she stressed.
The committee instructed the Ministry of Population Welfare to ensure greater outreach of services through the provinces, besides building public consciousness and awareness on the subject of unbridled population growth, and its disastrous consequences in neutralising efforts aimed at development.
The meeting expressed its concerns over continued high infant mortality and maternal mortality rates in the country. It said every effort must be made to educate the public regarding advantages of small family norm. The situation in Balochistan in particular needs to be addressed urgently with regard to mother and child health.
Some members of the committee suggested that non-intrusive population-related messages/slogans might be printed on electricity, gas bills etc with a view to creating greater awareness. It was also emphasised that population welfare centres may be limited in number, but must be so located as to cover bulk of the population and should be well equipped.
Minister for Population Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan, while endorsing the views of the committee, said the campaign for population stabilisation should be in harmony with religious, social and cultural norms. The meeting was attended among others by Senators Haji Ghulam Ali, Shirala Malik, Engineer Malik Rashid Ahmed Khan, Lieutenant General Javed Ashraf (Retd) and Saeed Ahmed Hashmi, besides senior officials of the ministry.