Pakistan Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir is now expected to play a role in directing the country’s population control efforts, adding another responsibility to his expanding portfolio, according to a report by Dawn newspaper.Already serving as a de facto center of power in Pakistan, Munir has increasingly moved beyond his traditional role of commanding the armed forces to play a prominent role in shaping Islamabad’s foreign policy and strategic decision-making. Pakistan has long relied on its military and top generals to assume responsibilities beyond defence, with the armed forces playing an influential role in governance, diplomacy and policy-making.
According to a report in Dawn newspaper, he was appointed to a high-level committee formed by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to address the issue. This was stated by Federal Health Minister Syed Mustafa Kamal during a joint meeting of the two Senate committees to discuss population policy and human rights.The report says the committee is considering measures to slow population growth in Pakistan, with Munir joining the senior ministers responsible for finance, planning and health, Dawn reported.
Addressing the joint meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on National Health Services and the Senate Technical Committee on Human Rights on Thursday, Kamal said the Prime Minister held several high-level meetings on population management.He said that Field Marshal Mounir was among the members of the newly formed committee.“The government is dealing with this issue with the highest priority and important political decisions are being made at all levels,” the minister told lawmakers, according to Dawn newspaper.The meeting, chaired by Senators Amir Waliuddin Chishti and Samina Mumtaz Zehri, focused on Pakistan’s population growth and potential political reforms.Pakistan is currently the fifth most populous country in the world, and is expected to overtake Indonesia by 2030 to become the fourth most populous country.Kamal said managing the population will require government intervention and public participation.He said the current National Finance Commission (NFC) award formula discourages provinces from reducing population growth because resource allocation is highly linked to population size.“If a county succeeds in reducing its population growth, its share of NFC funding decreases, while the county with a larger population receives more funds,” he said.Read also: Pakistan claims 88 militants killed in ongoing crackdown in BalochistanThe Minister proposed reducing the population component in the NFC formula from 82 percent to 50 percent.Kamal also attributed part of Pakistan’s high birth rate to limited access to contraceptives, saying that tax exemptions have now been given on contraceptive products.He said Pakistan records about 6.7 million births every year, and estimated that wider access to family planning could reduce annual population growth by about 1.5 million people.Lawmakers questioned whether the well-being of residents remained a federal subject after the 18th Constitutional Amendment.The minister stressed that responsibility had shifted to the provinces, while representatives of the Ministry of Law said that Parliament could not legislate on matters exclusively assigned to provincial governments.A representative of the Council of Islamic Ideology said during the meeting that there is no sectarian disagreement over measures to address rapid population growth.The Senate committee directed the Ministry of Law, religious scholars and relevant parliamentary committees to hold consultations to develop a consensus strategy on population management, Dawn reported.Another joint meeting is expected to be held in the coming days as the government continues discussions on reforms to address the demographic challenges facing Pakistan.
