Some time ago, the head of an international organisation in Pakistan, reflecting on the country’s dismal ranking on global indices, remarked that social indicators only improve when the state truly values the lives of its people. It was a poignant and uncomfortable truth — raising a deeper question: have we, as a nation, come to value individual lives less simply because we are too many?
The signs are hard to ignore — increasing poverty, child malnutrition, maternal and infant deaths, and millions of out-of-school children. These aren’t just statistics; they are quiet, daily indictments of our national priorities. Yet despite the mounting evidence and urgent need, we remain gripped by a kind of collective indifference. Too often, this apathy leads to a dangerously simplistic conclusion: that our circumstances will improve only if there are fewer people.
The question is not whether we are too many. The real question is whether we are doing right by those who are already here — and those born each day. Every birth in Pakistan should be a moment of celebration and hope — not just for the parents, but for the state. And that celebration must carry a promise — a promise of a better future.
Too often, however, that promise is broken.
It turns bitter when a mother, already anaemic and overburdened, faces life-threatening complications due to a closely spaced or unplanned pregnancy. It turns bitter when malnourished children born in rapid succession compete for limited nourishment and parental care. It turns bitter when children, especially girls, are denied the same opportunities as their brothers. And it turns bitter when young lives are stunted before they begin.
This is not just a crisis of health, education or economy. It is a crisis of values.
The true measure of a nation is how it treats its people. And the first duty of the state is to improve the quality of life of all citizens, ensuring that each generation is better off than the one before. This begins with the recognition of every individual’s rights.
Some of these rights are the state’s direct responsibility: access to quality education, healthcare, shelter and employment. Others rest with families: proper nutrition, care, time and upbringing. But both the state and families must share in the commitment to ensure that every child is not just born, but welcomed into a world that offers opportunity, protection and dignity.
That commitment starts with enabling parents to plan their families according to their means, and providing them with the services to do so. It also requires the state to guarantee universal access to comprehensive reproductive health information and services.
To make the vision ‘every life counts’ a reality, the government must lead the way in designing a coordinated, equitable and well-resourced social development framework, with provinces fully on board. Prioritising people’s welfare must become more than a slogan — it must be embedded in policy, practice and principle.
This World Population Day, let us change the conversation. Instead of asking how many we are, let us ask how we are treating those who are already here and those still to come. Are we investing wisely in human development? Are we conserving our environment, protecting our biodiversity and securing resources for future generations? Are we ensuring that education, healthcare and the chance for a better life are truly available to all? And can our women truly exercise autonomy over all aspects of their lives?
We must confront these questions with urgency and resolve — because we owe nothing less to our children, and to the generations yet to come.
