Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal chaired a committee meeting in Islamabad to press for a comprehensive and integrated population strategy to respond to rising population pressures. The committee, formed on the directions of the Prime Minister, examined policy options aimed at aligning development planning with demographic change.
The minister underlined that the population strategy must go beyond health interventions and address the economic and social dimensions that directly influence all socioeconomic indicators. He stressed that effective population management requires close coordination between the federation and the provinces so policies and resources work in sync across sectors.
As part of the policy discussion, Ahsan Iqbal proposed gradually reducing the population-based share in the National Finance Commission Award so that resource allocation becomes linked to measurable population reduction efforts. The federal government, in collaboration with provincial administrations, is drafting a comprehensive action plan that will outline concrete steps and timelines to implement the population strategy.
The meeting was attended by Dr. Musadik Malik, Minister for Petroleum and Natural Resources, MNA Dr. Saira Afzal Tarar, and sociologist Zeba Sattar, among others. It was decided that the committee will reconvene within ten days to finalize recommendations and determine the future course of action to operationalize the proposed population strategy.
