'Pakistan is 6th most populous country in World'
'Pakistan Times' Staff Report

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan with a population of 156.26 million is the 6th most populous country in the world.

With these remarks, Federal Minister for Population Welfare Chaudhry Shahbaz Hussain said that at the “International Ulama Conference on Population and Development organized by Ministry of Population Welfare here Monday.

He said the unanimous declaration at the end of international clerics’ conference in May 2005 was a matter of surprise for the world adding Pakistan’s image as moderate country was projected particularly in the West.

He said the family planning Programme was initiated in Pakistan by private sector during the decade of 60s but the governments did not took it seriously.

The population growth rate touched the level of 3.6 percent during the decade of 70s but even then the governments remained silent and indifferent, he said.

First time a government has adopted a serious approach in this connection and consequently the rate has dropped to 1.9 percent.

It was in 2002 that President General Pervez Musharraf gave a population policy and a vision was thus set up to bring down the growth rate to 1.3 percent by 2002 he said adding the things are moving in right direction to achieve the target.●