Population planning vital for development, prosperity: PM
By Ali Imran

ISLAMABAD—Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz has said that population planning plays a significant role in the development and prosperity of the country.
Addressing the inauguration of ceremony of Population House here on Wednesday, he said that development of the country is linked with the population planning, therefore it is essential to control the rapid growth of the population.
He said government is trying to manage the population growth rate which should not disturb the balance as human capital is the best asset of the country. The young generation which is 100 million at present could shoulder the future responsibilities, he said.
Government, he said, is striving hard to create a healthy society where all basic necessities of life including education and health are available for the people. During the tenure of the present government it did well to maintain the population growth at a rate of 1.8 percent annually, he said.
The Prime Minister said that rapid growth in population requires more jobs and facilities and we have to manage the balance between the facilities and the population.
Referring to woman folk, Shaukat Aziz said that government attaches top priority to the rights of women. He said numerous initiatives have been taken for the welfare of women. Government, he said, has allocated quota in Federal Government Services for women so that they could take benefit of the opportunities available in the country. He said that women are half of the total population and their talents should be utilized. Women play their role in every field of life including PAF, PIA, Army and Civil Service, he added.
The Prime Minister assured that Millennium Development Goals envisaging provision of education and health for the vulnerable people including women would be achieved by 2015.
He said the role of woman in the society should not be confused as they fulfilling their responsibility according to our culture and customs.
He urged the creation of missionary spirit among the people to work with honesty, sincerely and dedication for the betterment of the country. He said during his eight year tenure, he took all the decisions in the interest of the country and tried to build Pakistan as a fortress of Islam and the promotion of peace and brotherhood. Government has always tried to put the country on the road to progress and prosperity so that it could be recognized as a developed country in the comity of nation, the prime Minister added. Minister for Population Welfare Chaudhry Shahbaz Hussain in his welcomed addressed threw light on the importance of family planning. He said due to the excellent family planning, foreign countries are seeking our help to maintain the population growth rate.