Pakistan’s overpopulation crisis is deepening, according to experts, with the country facing national collapse.

The warning was delivered at the end of last week’s Pakistan Population Summit, where it was made clear that the country’s unchecked population growth is rapidly outpacing its available resources.

The two-day event was attended by government officials, scholars, and civil society leaders, who described the issue as an “existential crisis”, demanding urgent national attention and coordinated reform if demographic disaster is to be avoided.

According to Pakistan’s The Express Tribune, speakers at the summit called for a unified, cross-institutional approach to population management, emphasising that the crisis now threatens the country’s healthcare system, food and water security, education infrastructure, labour market, and overall urban sustainability. They insisted that without decisive action, the population surge would soon render many development efforts meaningless.

In his address, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar admitted that: “the constitutional right to life is being eroded by an unsustainable population increase that heavily burdens maternal, neonatal, and reproductive health services”.

Minister Tarar proposed the formation of a parliamentary committee, a national charter on population control, and a multi-stakeholder working group dedicated to pursuing comprehensive reforms.

Tarar also highlighted that: “religion does not obstruct family planning”. The Minister urged that mental health issues, including postpartum depression, be addressed as part of reproductive health discussions, a point that resonated strongly with attendees. Religious and legal scholars echoed this sentiment, offering rare consensus. Dr Raghib Naeemi, Chairman of the Council of Islamic Ideology, stated that: “protecting life and lineage is a core objective of Shariah”. He also went on to endorse birth spacing within Islamic principles.

Ruet-e-Hilal Committee Chairman Maulana Abdul Khabeer Azad described population management as: “a collective moral duty”.

And legal expert Humaira Masihuddin called for: “greater inclusion of women in decision-making positions”, stressing that empowerment and education of women were central to managing Pakistan’s population challenge.

At the time of writing, the population of Pakistan sits at approximately 257 million, a staggering 64 per cent increase since 2000. The fertility rate (average number of births per mother) is currently at 3.5.

Submitted by Friends of Retha


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