Islamabad: President Asif Ali Zardari urged to control the
population saying that it is necessary to strike a balance between
population growth and resources required for sustainable development.
In
his message on world population day, the President said that the fast
pace of population growth should make us pause and reflect on its
impact on the available resources and infrastructure and if the
population continues to grow at the current rate, it will not be too
long when our resources will just not be able to support the people.
He
said population growth rate is also wake up call for us to plan our
strategy for health, education and other facilities to our next
generation.
President Zardari said growing population is
another factor for Pakistan to be lagging behind most countries of the
region in the areas of literacy and primary education. He said it has
also contributed to unplanned urbanization and strained the capacity to
provide shelter to all. He said the state of affairs demands a review
of our development priorities and re-examination of our strategies.
To
overcome the negative impact of population growth, the President
suggested the provincial governments to entrust with complete
responsibilities under 18th amendment to do planning to meet the
challenges and issues of exploding population.
He urged all
stake holders including civil society, NGOs, provincial governments and
individuals to put the country on the path of progress and prosperity
through coordinated efforts in meting out challenges of population
growth. Online
