AJK Govt appreciates UNFPA Pakistan for its role in population management
UNFPA Pakistan's delegation headed by Ms Lina Mousa will visit AJK today (Monday).
MUZAFFARABAD (Dunya News) - Government of Azad Jammu & Kashmir (GoAJ&K) appreciated United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Pakistan, for its role in population management and stabilisation in Pakistan and its regions.
Minister for Population, Information Technology and TEVTA Dr Mustafa Bashir Abbasi said while talking to this correspondent on alarming population growth in AJ&K with poor population demographic dividends, saying that AJ&K government being cognisant to the global, regional and national challenges confronted to population and development sector has strong realisation that rapid population growth in Pakistan has emerged as serious challenge both for policy makers and policy implementors which cannot be resolved without coherent and collaborative efforts by all stakeholders including public sectors, development partners, INGOs and civil society organisations.
The AJ&K Minister Abbasi said that GoAJ&K visualises such a high level of population growth in Pakistan (including special regions—AJ&K & G-B) as unsustainable that has already eaten into the modest gains made in terms of socio-economic development.
Nearly, one-fourth of the Pakistan’s population continues to live below the national poverty line (2015-16) with the absolute numbers of poor increasing due to population growth rates.
" Poverty has a close relation with low literacy, high fertility, high childhood and maternal mortality especially among the poorest households. Approximately 60 per cent of the country’s population faces food insecurity and nearly 50 per cent of the women and children are malnourished.
He said many Pakistani children are facing with long term nutritional deprivation, balanced food insecurity, poor health services, illnesses linked to hygiene, and improper feeding practices.
Abbasi said that GoAJ&K having strong realisation that only joint and collaborative efforts can bring the country out of this tribulation transition.
He said that they have realisation that AJ&K is a small with an area comprising 13297 square kilometers, having population of 4.111 million (2018) with 51 per cent women populace with challenges of hilly terrain, sparsely spread population with limited access and resources of AJ&K PWD to implement Population/Family Planning Program, demands for evolving a collaborative approach to improve Family Planning (FP) and Reproductive Health Services (RHS).
Secretary Population Welfare Department AJ&K, Raja Muhammad Razzaque said that UNFPA Pakistan s delegation headed by Ms Lina Mousa, UNFPA Pakistan’s Country Representative and comprises Dr Yilma Alazar, International FP Advisor; Dr Jamil Ahmed Ch Program Specialist SRH; Dr Adeela Khan, Program Analyst will visit AJ&K from today (Monday go Wednesday ) and during their stay in Capital City of AJ&K they will visit different Population and Health related facilities.
They will also call on President, Prime Minister, Minister for Population, Minister for Health, Chief Secretary and Secretary Population Welfare Department AJ&K. Besides, First meeting of AJ&K Task Force on Population is also scheduled under the chairmanship of the Prime Minister AJ&K on October 7, 2020 at Prime Minister’s office to which the UNFPA Country representative Ms Lina Mousa being member to forum will also attend first meeting of AJ&K Task Force on Population.
Besides, Dr Shahid Hanif Dirctor General Population Program Wing, as representative of National Health Services Regulation and Coordination, Govt. of Pakistan, Dr. Fauzia Assad, Country Director, Jhpiego (Pakistan) and Mr. Arslan Nusrat, Senior Program Advisor (Pakistan & AJ&K) Muslim Hands will also represent the NGOs and Civil Society Organisation respectively in the said meeting.
The UNFPA delegation visit to AJ&K has a immense significance for AJ&K in terms of UNFPA’s support and future collaboration in the area of family planning and reproductive health services, Secretary Raja Razzaque said.
