Daily Times

Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar on Monday reprimanded the federal government over its failure to devise a strategy to check uncontrolled population growth in the country.

Federal Health Secretary Captain (r) Zahid Sayed admitted before the court that his department could not devise and implement effective measures regarding the population control. “How could surveys be done while sitting in offices?” the court asked, and ordered him to submit progress report on the matter every three months. “We will announce the judgement on Tuesday (today),” the chief justice said, and adjourned the hearing.

On the last hearing on January 3, the top judge had said that an advertisement campaign launched by the government was not enough to control the population, and instead an ‘action plan’ was required. “National issues cannot be curbed
without controlling the rapid increase in population,” he had said, adding that state’s resources were depleting fast and the land available for agriculture was shrinking.

Published in Daily Times, January 15^th 2019.