Pakistan army chief field marshal Asim Munir is now expected to play a role in steering the country’s population control efforts, adding another responsibility to his expanding portfolio, according to a report by Dawn.Already functioning as Pakistan’s de facto power centre, Munir has increasingly moved beyond his traditional role of commanding the armed forces to play a prominent part in shaping Islamabad’s foreign policy and strategic decision-making. Pakistan has long relied on its military and top generals to take on responsibilities extending well beyond defence, with the armed forces playing an influential role in governance, diplomacy and policymaking. According to a report in Dawn, he has been inducted into a high-level committee formed by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to address the issue. The disclosure was made by Federal Health Minister Syed Mustafa Kamal during a joint meeting of two Senate committees discussing population policy and human rights.The report says that the committee is examining measures to slow Pakistan’s population growth, with Munir joining 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 functional committee on human rights on Thursday, Kamal said the prime minister had convened several high-level meetings on population management.He said field marshal Munir was among the members of the newly formed committee.”The government is treating this issue with the highest priority and important policy decisions are being taken at every level,” the minister told lawmakers, according to Dawn.The meeting, jointly chaired by senators Amir Waliuddin Chishti and Samina Mumtaz Zehri, focused on Pakistan’s growing population and possible policy reforms.Pakistan is currently the world’s fifth most populous country and is projected to overtake Indonesia by 2030 to become the fourth most populous.Kamal said population management would require both government intervention and public participation.He argued that the existing National Finance Commission (NFC) Award formula discouraged provinces from reducing population growth because resource allocation was heavily linked to population size.”If a province succeeds in reducing its population growth, its NFC share declines, whereas a province with a larger population receives more funds,” he said.Also Read: Pakistan claims 88 militants killed in ongoing Balochistan crackdownThe minister proposed reducing the population component of the NFC formula from 82 per cent to 50 per cent.Kamal also attributed part of Pakistan’s high birth rate to limited access to contraceptives, saying tax exemptions had now been granted on contraceptive products.He said Pakistan records around 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 population welfare remained a federal subject after the 18th constitutional amendment.The minister confirmed that responsibility had been devolved to the provinces, while representatives of the Ministry of Law said Parliament could not legislate on matters exclusively assigned to provincial governments.A representative of the Council of Islamic Ideology told the meeting there was no sectarian disagreement on measures aimed at addressing rapid population growth.The senate committee directed the ministry of law, religious scholars and relevant parliamentary committees to hold consultations to develop a consensus-based strategy on population management, according to Dawn.Another joint meeting is expected in the coming days as the government continues discussions on reforms to address Pakistan’s demographic challenges.
