But what about this bomb now?
Uzma Zafar
 

Blurt Out

Pakistan is a country that has been the frontrunner in combating with terrorism and while at it, has been a victim to suicide bombings, many a times. While efforts are being made in the direction of dealing with terrorism and terrorist activities, little attention is being paid on the very fact that another bomb is being made in the meantime, that would explode any time and that too, without much of a sound. It is of course, none other than the population bomb. We cannot go for a one-child policy like China as religious scholars would have their major reservations on such a thought even. Today it is the World Population Day again but alas, near to nothing has been done so far, to deal with this silent bomb which is building every second.
With the advancement in science and technology and through better health facilities, the infant and mortality rate in older people even, has decreased a notch and thus, the population is growing at a rapid pace, without any control or check, which is alarming. There are many reasons to it. Firstly, the wrong concept portrayed by our Mullahs that gap in children is a sin, has contributed vastly to the country's population, all these years. Killing a child within, i.e., abortion, is not permitted in Islam of course, except for some dire circumstances when nothing could be done otherwise. However, giving a gap between childbirths is both healthy for the children as well as the lactating mother. So it could not be against the religion by any means as Islam is in sync with nature and is a religion of all times, reasons and seasons of life!
Another major issue that has been left untouched so far is pertaining to our youth. The innocent love which used to be a mere product of watchful attraction, due to advancement of media, has taken a very ugly physical form as well. If a handful of women crossed all lines, today, many women are enticed and entrapped into the spider web of deceit, laid with promises of marriage, that the guys throw, to catch innocent, chaste fish. And where women used to abort the illegal child where things got that far, before anybody could come to know of it, today's women see the world in a different light and thus, refuse to bow their head and sacrifice their unborn. The resultant is that the population is increasing unchecked.
The problem in our society is that we can talk openly about anything and everything but when it comes to taking precautions, let that be in pills, condoms or any such objects that could prevent the population growth, the topic still remains a taboo and thus, not many advertisements are made on the topic, nor anyone has sound and proper knowledge on the subject. But on the other hand, as lady health workers are educating people of the rural areas, women are becoming more and more aware of their rights and have been voicing the issue of gap in childbirths. In fact, one of our maids was being told of the issue when she suddenly raised her voice and said, we know this all, educate our men and mould their thinking!
As we live in a male-oriented society, so the need is to generate such a campaign which could alter the very thought process of the bread earner. On the other hand, children should be refrained from watching dramas and programmes which expose them to vulgarity and compel them to evil deeds like giving in to the sins of the flesh! In fact, more and more programmes such be made and shown on the darker side of the picture, discouraging the youth to engage in such activities. Parents should sit and discuss these things with their kids so that they know what they are getting into, as they grow up and enter the stage of getting married.
If such measures are taken, we might be able to prevent the population bomb to grow further. As for the existing population, not much can be done. It is in fact, due to the high population growth rate in our society which has led to lack of basic necessities and earning resources for the lot. The government, instead of wasting it's funds here and there, should pay attention for providing these basic enmities to our youth so that they don't get frustrated and as the youth are the builders of a nation and the founder of the next generational society, so we need to educate our youth into taking precautions and family planning so that we can effectively deal with this crisis!