Legislators note that balanced population growth is a top priority for Punjab to achieve its development goals. While it is urgently necessary to continue expansion of family health services and education in Punjab, legislators expressed the need for new and stronger legislation for mandatory provision of Family Planning and Mother and Child Health services as well as counseling at all health care facilities. These were two of several elements on which there emerged a multi-party consensus on dealing with the population issue confronting Punjab province.
Recommendations by the Federal Task Force initiated at the directive of the Supreme Court and chaired by Prime Minister Imran Khan, and endorsed by the CCI, were discussed by MPAs of the Punjab assembly in a provincial dialogue on Punjab’s population challenge, hosted by the Population Council in Lahore.
Recognizing that population growth is a cross-sector issue that impacts all aspects of life, legislators expressed their enthusiastic support for urgent and substantial improvement in family planning services and use of contraception.
Legislators also noted that population is a critical national issue that requires immediate attention. It is important to address myths and misperceptions amongst citizens that hinder uptake of family health services through responsible mass media and engaging Pesh Imams for promoting responsible parenthood in their sermons. Legislators also reiterated government’s role in providing education to the citizens so that they can make well-informed decisions.
Members from Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) and Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) represented their parties at the dialogue. Begum Zakia Shahnawaz, former Provincial Minister for Population Welfare and Environment Protection and now an MPA of PML-N, Abida Bibi, Chairperson of Standing Committee on Population Welfare and MPA of PTI, Bushra Aman, Secretary, Population Welfare Department, Punjab, Maulana Abdul Khabir Azad, Pesh Imam Badshahi Mosque and Maulana Shahzad Mujadadi also spoke at the occasion.