PAKISTAN today stands at the edge of a demographic precipice.

Overpopulation has emerged as one of the most serious structural challenges confronting the country, aggravated by limited economic resources, weak governance and the absence of sustained political ownership. Despite repeated acknowledgments by successive governments, population control remains an area marked more by rhetoric than results.

The devolution of population welfare to the provinces under the 18th Constitutional Amendment was expected to bring localized solutions and improved outcomes. However, more than a decade later, there has been no meaningful improvement in Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey (PDHS) indicators or provincial population statistics. Pakistan continues to record one of the lowest and most stagnant contraceptive prevalence rates (CPR) in the region, highlighting a systemic failure rather than a lack of awareness.

A primary reason for this stagnation is the state’s inability to effectively persuade and facilitate citizens particularly those in rural areas to adopt family planning. Provincial governments and their relevant departments have failed to conduct sustained, meaningful outreach at the grassroots level. Instead, population-related events are often reduced to ceremonial seminars held in five-star hotels in collaboration with NGOs and international donors, yielding little measurable impact on behavior or outcomes.

For decades, political leadership has paid lip service to the population issue without demonstrating the courage or consistency required for reform. Periodically, bold statements surface declaring overpopulation a threat to Pakistan’s economy, food security and........

© Pakistan Observer