New Delhi: A Pakistani minister’s newest population control measure has the internet in splits—close all markets by 8 pm. A widely shared video clip shows Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif saying that wherever markets close early, “population increase is lesser”.
“Jahan pe 8 baje market band ki hai, wahan pe bacche kam paida honge (Wherever markets close at 8 pm, there are lesser chances of children being born),” said Asif at a press conference in Islamabad earlier this week while addressing the country’s energy conservation plans.
The comment comes in the midst of the Shehbaz Sharif government’s orders to shut markets by 8:30 pm and wedding halls by 10:30 pm to conserve energy. “The plan will change the overall lifestyle and habits of the nation and save us PKR 60 billion,” said Asif while announcing the ‘curfew’.
The statement got much flak from Pakistanis.
“Such insensitive statements showcase the credibility of Pakistan’s leaders. How can the leadership hide its incompetence by curtailing the autonomy of the people?” asked one Twitter user Abid Khan. Meanwhile, another joked that this is why Faisalabad saw a population explosion in December 2022.
Isi waja se pooray Faisalabad ki textile band krne faida hua or december 2022 mai 50 hazar pedaish hui sirf Faisalabad mai😂😂
— Mansoor Ghori (@makghori) January 5, 2023
In a tongue-in-cheek response, an economics professor from India urged social scientists to take note.
Also read: An ‘out of Pakistan’ solution for population control—produce kids in non-Muslim nations
Adding to the crisis
In July 2022, Abdul Qadir Patel, a Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) member, suggested that couples wanting to have children should leave Pakistan and add to the population in countries where Muslims are a minority.
On 2 January, a man from Quetta in Pakistan claimed to have welcomed his 60th child, BBC reported. While five of them didn’t survive, he said he has plans to have more children.
The problem of overpopulation in Pakistan — the world’s fifth most populous country — only adds to the economic crisis that it is currently facing. When compared to China, India, the United States, and Indonesia, Pakistan has the highest population growth rate as reported by the World Population Review. The country’s population is expected to double by 2045 if the current yearly growth rate of 2.1 per cent doesn’t change, Dawn reported. It also reported that there were many reasons behind the population explosion: Lack of regulations and poor implementation of policies at the local level. The bleak rate of female literacy, too, was among the most critical determinants.
Khawaja Asif has a history of making controversial remarks. He has passed bold comments on the Pakistani army and once lost the defence portfolio as well.