OUTLINE
Introduction
•Population is rapidly increasing in Pakistan
Causes
Illiteracy
Male-dominating society
Less usage of contraceptives
Inefficient role of government
Misinterpretation of religion
Conservative thinking
Unemployment/lack of opportunities
Technological advancement
Effects
Increasing unemployment
Difficulties of people in earning livelihood
Low standard of living
Child labour and slavery
Burden on national resources
Sense of deprivation
Terrorism, crime rate and social unrest
Men of letters are not produced
Remedial Measures
Family planning Serious and sincere efforts of government
Positive role of media
Scholar's role in correct interpretation of religion
Awareness among people at grass root level
More occupational opportunities
Women empowerment
Role of feudal and tribal chieftains
Conclusion
ESSAY
Overpopulation is intolerable for any country in the world. As far as Pakistan is concerned, there is rapid increase in population. People are paying no attention to this unbridled growth of population. Twenty-first century is the age of science and modern technology Gone were the days, when states required manpower to defeat the enemy states Quality not quantity matters in this modern era. But the situation is reverse in Pakistan. As per a report, five to six children are born after every single minute in Pakistan As a result, there is a huge gap between demand and supply of different necessities of life Energy is not available as per needs of the country Unfortunately, people are more and resources are scarce Pakistan is the sixth most populated country in the world. It is an alarming situation. Standard of life is going down State is unable to provide education to such a huge chunk of population More than 40% population of the country is living below poverty line. Perhaps, people are unaware of the fact that country needs useful not useless citizens Previous governments tried their level best to control over population but failed due to certain reasons. It is ironical that last census was held in 1998. It is impossible for the government to solve people's problems without knowing their exact number Present government has an effective role to play if it wants to curtail ever rising monster of over-population. If effective steps are not taken in this regard, it will become difficult for Pakistan to become a developed country
As every problem has some causes, Illiteracy is the major cause of overpopulation in Pakistan Literacy rate in the country is almost 58%. The standard to declare a person literate is too low A person who can read and write is considered literate Truly speaking, real literacy rate is not more than 20%, so illiterate ones cannot understand the consequences of overpopulation They keep on increasing their number They cannot comprehend that resources of the country cannot afford high birth rate In this way, illiteracy is responsible for population explosion.
Similarly, Pakistani society is a patriarchal society In most of the cases, men dominate women in different fields of life Normally, men decide how many children they want to have Woman who bears the brunt of child birth has no say in this regard Usually, a baby boy is considered a blessing for parents. On the other hand, baby girl is taken as a curse in society. She is not welcomed whole heartedly.
People keep on adding to their number to have more and more baby attitude gives further boost to overpopulation.
Likewise, people do not know about the usage of contraceptives to prevent excessive child birth. There are a few families which want to have limited number of children Unfortunately, they are unaware of precautionary measures to restrict population growth. They are ignorant of the act that they can reduce their birth rate without compromising their sexual desires It is strange that such a situation is prevalent in the country in this modern age. Someone has rightly said that ignorance of law is no excuse. Hence, less knowledge of a certain preventive measure adds fuel to fire.
Moreover, inefficient role of government encourages over population in the country The government has not introduced pragmatic policies to control over population There is no law in the country which can help overcome this issue. It seems as if politicians were not willing to resolve this issue because unborn have no votes In the same way, successive governments failed to provide vocational training to people to turn them from liability into human resource in the country So, irrational policies could not address this issue on humanitarian grounds.
Furthermore, misinterpretation of religion played havoc in this respect. Certain narrow minded mullahs say that it is against the spirit of Islam to reduce child birth In fact, they are not fond of ijtehad. Their thinking is out-dated, obsolete and backward They are not enlightened scholars They interpret principles of religion as per their wishes Clergy talk irrationally in Pakistan. They issue verdicts against people who are working to bring awareness about the hazards of overpopulation. This archaic attitude further worsens the situation
Besides it, unemployment adds insult to injury. Many people in the country do not have jobs. They are living from hand to mouth. Unemployed ones do not have opportunities to enjoy recreational activities. Such people do not have enough money to go picnic. They hardly manage to watch a movie at cinema. In these circumstances, they spend most of their time at home Their life partner is the only source of enjoyment for them Owing to their companionship. population growth of country has gone out of control
Last but not least, technological advancement has further aggravated the situation. In past, there were many fatal diseases. Those diseases proved deadly for human beings Progress in the field of medical science has cured various fatal diseases. Man has also brought child mortality rate down Death rate has
gone high in rest of the world. It can be said that technological advancement has a role in rapid growth of population
There are many effects of overpopulation. Its major effect is unavailability of basic facilities of life. A country like Pakistan cannot entertain ever increasing population There are fewer educational institutions but people are more. As a result, six million children are out of school as per Economic Survey of Pakistan (2014-15). There are a few hospitals in the country The staff of these hospitals can provide services to a limited number of people Consequently, common man faces a lot of problems when he suffers from particular diseases Pure drinking water has become a rare commodity owing to which people are suffering from water-borne diseases.
Secondly, overpopulation has disturbed the socio-economic fabric of society It has given a rise to materialism. People having more children have to earn a lot to cater to their needs. They have to work more which has created a gap among people They are living a life of hurry and worry. They have gone away from nature. On the one hand, overpopulation has weakened their economy, on the other hand, people hardly find time to sit with their near and dear ones. It is not in favour of people of the country
Thirdly, overpopulation has led to pollution in the country. There is rapid industrialization and urbanization in the country This scenario has badly impacted the country's weather pattern. There are a large number of vehicles which burn fossil fuels. Industries discharge poisonous gases and hazardous waste material Urbanization causes deforestation All these factors contribute in abrupt weather changes in the country Temperature in summer goes up to 50C Last year, hundreds of people lost their lives in Karachi owing to heat waves This may also result in melting of glaciers and unprecedented rains Unfortunately, the country has to confront with heavy floods
Fourthly, overpopulation gives birth to child labour and slavery As stated earlier, most of the people are illiterate When heads of the families are unable to meet the needs of their family members, they send their children to work First of all, it is against the law of state Secondly, it is against humanity to force children for hard labour in their early age Children are exploited sexually when they are at work. They have to survive in hostile working conditions Children are forced to work beside heavy machinery which is a threat to their life. They get less remuneration as compared to young ones. All these factors bring child labour and slavery in the country. There is a sense of deprivation and frustration in people as a consequence of overpopulation
Fifthly, most of people have desires to fulfilled. Everyone wants to admired and appreciated. People want to live luxurious life. They want upgrade their living standard. It only possible when people have a lot money. The monster overpopulation hardly allows one accomplish one's desires. When one unable achieve what one wishes, one gets frustrated and annoyed. There prevails depression and discontentment society owing over population
Sixthly, overpopulation breeds terrorism and extremism the country. Overpopulation and poverty are directly proportional each other. It rightly said that poverty the death of exceptional skill and talent Poverty is root cause all social evils. When people are unable fulfil their wishes through fair means, they get involved in negative activities They commit crimes and snatch other's right. It much easier to brainwash poor one than rich one Terrorist exploit poor masses get their vested interest Some of deprived ones even get ready become suicide bombers.
Lastly, there are few men of letters Pakistan due overpopulation. Education regarded as the backbone every country's economy. Educational standards are under continuous decline Pakistan Teachers are unable provide quality education to children At the end of day, there are few men letters the country Apart from unchecked increase population burdens the already scarce national resources Pakistan has not been able to indigenous resources per high population growth Such state affairs can result chaos and anarchy in society
As every problem has few solutions, strict implementation of family planning programme is the major remedy to this issue Government can play positive role in curbing population growth in the country. There is dire need implement family planning in the country lady health workers can guide parents about negative impacts of overpopulation They can create awareness about the usage of contraceptive to avoid unwanted population Doctors and educated people of society can persuade people to limit their child birth In way, Pakistan can get rid this menace
It rightly said that education is real panacea socio-economic problems of society. Government needs to allocate more funds for education sector. The education system of Pakistan requires complete overhauling An educated person can easily differentiate between good and evil. He can understand that overpopulation is not in favour of Pakistan A literate one well aware the consequences of overpopulation. An educated one useful while an uneducated one is burden on national resources. Education can help Pakistan solve this problem on pragmatic grounds.
Besides that, vocational training and occupational opportunities are prerequisite to overcome this issue Currently, there is bad governance in Pakistan Country is faced with many issues due to which there is unemployment in the country. Government has to improve governance to create employment opportunities. Owing to poor law and order situation, foreign investors are reluctant to invest in Pakistan. If security matters are addressed, investors will automatically resume financial activities in the country. This will create job opportunities for people Vocational training is also necessary to enable people meet their both ends When people are prosperous, they will not compromise on their standard of living
In the same way, media has become a great power in the modern world. Media can influence people to a large extent. Certain channels and newspapers have high rating in Pakistani society. They can throw light on threats of overpopulation News anchors and writers can guide people how to control overpopulation. Many programmes can be broadcasted to highlight the destruction and ruination caused by overpopulation. One can say that media has instrumental role to play in tackling this issue
Currently, there is no law in the country to curb overpopulation. Law can be introduced to nip this evil in the bud Those people who are responsible for overpopulation despite having less resources can be punished A particular amount of fine can be imposed on them It is also inevitable to introduce a term of four to five years of imprisonment. These steps may seem harsh apparently. But when it comes to reforming society, some strict steps become unavoidable
Adding more to it, educated and moderate scholars can bring everlasting change as for as overpopulation is concerned. Different religious scholars have thousands of followers. They can expose those mullahs who misinterpret religious teachings as per their own wishes. They declare steps like family planning void and illegal. They are conservative in their approach toward life. They have forgotten that Islam is a universal religion. They are not changing as per the modem trends of the world. Islam welcomes change and difference of opinion. The doors of ijtihad are always open in Islam Rational scholars can commence narrow-minded mullah and people that birth control is as per the spirit of Islam
Last but not least, women empowerment can help reduce high birth rate in the country. Women are considered subhuman in many areas of Pakistan Gender equality is a myth in the land of Bacha Khan. Women are not consulted about the size of family It is man who decides how many children he wishes. Woman is considered a machine for giving birth to maximum number of children. The government can take effective steps to empower women, so that they can play their part in defeating the menace of overpopulation
To conclude, it can be said that population has reached an alarming stage in the land of Quaid Overpopulation has kept Pakistan away from becoming a self- reliant country Great nations have progressed by leaps and bounds after solving their issue of overpopulation Contrary to this, in Third World countries like Pakistan, overpopulation has added to the miseries of people. People are unable to get education. There is poverty, corruption and instability This problem needs immediate attention, if Pakistan wants to become great and strong Common man, civil society and intellectuals can play pivotal role in this regard. If Pakistanis have the courage to fight this issue, their posterity will have a bright future. If serious efforts are not taken to root this issue out, it will become a threat to the survival of country
