No country can progress if its population outgrows its resources: President

• Meeting between Arif Alvi and Country Director Population Fund UNFPA.
• CII to fully utilize the pulpit to create awareness among masses about vital social issues.
• Arif Alvi says government is committed to contain the population explosion.

ISLAMABAD: President Dr Arif Alvi on Wednesday said that no country could progress if its population outgrows its resources and underscored that the Government was committed to contain the population explosion, for which all segments of the  society would be engaged.

The President was talking to Country Director, United Nations Population  Fund (UNFPA), Lina Mahmoud Mousa, who called on him at the  Aiwan-e-Sadr.

He said that he had directed the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) to  fully utilize the pulpit to create awareness among masses about vital social  issues like women inheritance, malnutrition, and stunted growth.

He said lack of gap between pregnancies was one of the major causes of malnutrition and stunting. He highlighted that the Government was focusing on providing home-based software-driven jobs to skilled women, who could not  go out of homes because of child-raising.

Dr Alvi said that Pakistan would learn from and implement the strategies of  the countries, which had succeeded in controlling population growth.

Expressing his satisfaction that Pakistan and UNFPA had successfully implemented eight Country Programs, he hoped that the current Country  Program (2018-2022) would contribute towards better family planning,  increased women’s empowerment, better health outcomes and investments  in young people.

The President underlined that Pakistan had very fond association with  the UNFPA and the first female to head UNFPA was a renowned Pakistani,  Dr Nafis Sadik. He also appreciated UNFPA’s support and technical  assistance to Pakistan in conducting recent census.

Lisa appreciated the in-depth knowledge of the President on the  issue and said that they would certainly benefit from President’s strategic  vision. She agreed with him that while devising strategy to control population  growth, local values and traditions must be taken into consideration, or else  desired results could not be achieved.

The President conveyed his gratitude to Under Secretary General, UNFPA,  Dr Natalia Kanem, for extending invitation to all Heads of State and Government  to Nairobi Summit on ICPD 25 and hoped for its success.