Overview
- Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif chaired a high-level review on population welfare and on Thursday called rapid population growth the country’s biggest challenge, ordering an urgent meeting of the National Population Council.
- Officials told the meeting that operating procedures for the council’s secretariat have been finalized and that drafting has begun on a National Stabilization Plan for 2026–2035.
- The draft plan sets an explicit numeric goal to cut the growth rate from about 2.55% now to 1.25% by 2035 and links that objective to changes in policy and planning.
- Government briefers said the strategy will focus on health, education, youth development, vocational training and raising women’s labour‑force participation while starting work to tie federal social‑protection programs to population‑welfare goals.
- Successful rollout will depend on buy‑in from provinces and regional leaders, and the plan’s details and compliance mechanisms remain under development, with clear effects likely for access to benefits, service planning and the labour market if implemented.