The second and final day of the ‘Pakistan Population Summit’ — a national dialogue on restoring balance and building sustainable futures — will begin in Islamabad shortly.

Organised by DawnMedia, the summit is bringing toge­ther politicians, economists, development specialists, private sector leaders, and experts to develop a shared vision as rapid population growth continues to place pressure on health systems, food and water security, and employment.

On Monday, policy­makers, experts, diplomats and lawmakers had expressed the unanimous view that prosperity was not possible if the number of mouths to feed kept rising. They argued that without managing the population in terms of resources, all of the government’s efforts — aimed at development, progress and social uplift — would amount to naught.

View the full agenda here.

10:22am — Council of Islamic Ideology chairman speaks

10:16am — Info minister calls for joint working group, parliamentary debate

Suggesting some steps that could be taken, Attaullah Tarar called for a charter on the population crisis and recommended that a debate be held in parliament.

“One size fits all strategy might not work,” he noted, adding that religion was not an impediment in population planning.

The minister called for a joint working group that could work on a charter on the issue.

10:11am — Postpartum depression is a reality: info minister

The information minister also highlighted that postpartum depression was a “reality which should be realised and accepted”.

He stressed that mental health was a major aspect of “health linked to the population problem”.

Tarar further wondered what role legislators and the parliament could play in this regard. The minister also pointed out that lack of resources was an issue.

“There needs to be a realisation of rights and responsibilities — who has rights and who has responsibilities.”

10:05am: Must acknowledge scale of issue: Attaullah Tarar

Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar began by commending the DawnMedia group for speaking about the issue. He then stressed that, to him, “acknowledging the issue itself was quite important”.

“Until and less we accept it as a huge challenge, we will continue to face problems,” he said.

“First of all, it’s acceptance and the realisation that it is a huge issue,” the minister cautioned.

10:00am — 1st session of the day

Dr Ali Mohammad Mir, the senior director of the Population Council, is moderating the first session of the day.

The panel features Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, Council of Islamic Ideology Chairman Allama Dr Muhammad Raghib Hussain Naeemi, Jamia Darul Uloom Vice President Mufti Zubair Ashraf Usmani, Member of the Shariat Appellate Bench Dr Qibla Ayaz, Ruet-i-Hilal Committee Chairman Maulana Syed Muhammed Abdul Khabeer Azad and scholar and legal expert Humaira Masihuddin.

9:58am — Population Council official speaks

Ali Mazhar, the director of communications at the Population Council, opened the second day.

He said that the first day of the summit focused on the gap between an expanding population and the available resources.

Experts highlighted that ensuring a safe and educated Pakistan is not possible until we take better steps for population management, he said.

Mazhar also noted that the role of Islamic scholars in tackling population growth came under much discussion.

“Scholars have the most influence on our family planning and societal behaviour,” he noted.

9:56am — 2nd day of Pakistan Population Summit begins

The second and final day of the Pakistan Population Summit has begun in Islamabad. The day kicked off with the recitation of the Holy Quran.