The following article, ““The Population Growth in Pakistan Can Erupt Like an Atomic Bomb.” Comment.“, is written by Zohra Iqbal, a student of Sir Syed Kazim Ali. Moreover, the article is written on the same pattern, taught by Sir to his students, scoring the highest marks in compulsory subjects for years. Sir Kazim has uploaded his students’ solved past paper questions so other thousands of aspirants can understand how to crack a topic or question, how to write relevantly, what coherence is, and how to include and connect ideas, opinions, and suggestions to score the maximum.
Outline
1- Introduction
2- Understanding the term national integration
3- A bird’s eye view of the current situation
4- How the population growth in Pakistan can erupt like an Atomic Bomb?
- ✓Energy crisis
- ✓Governance problems
- ✓Provincial disharmony
- ✓Massive social discontentment
- ✓Poverty
- ✓Terrorism and extremism
5- How can Pakistan defuse this exploding overpopulation bomb?
- ✓By raising massive public awareness campaigns
- ✓By building of new institutions
- ✓By promoting education
6- Critical analysis
7- Conclusion
Answer to the Question
Introduction
No nation can rise to the height of glory by turning a blind eye to its rampant population growth. On the other hand, a country whirling under uncontrolled population growth cannot sustain its resources for future generations. However, Pakistan has unveiled a high population growth rate since its inception. Population is a contemporary issue affecting its social, political, and, above all, economic system. Rampant population growth has placed significant stress on the country’s resources and infrastructure, including access to basic survival requirements. Subsequently, overpopulation can erupt like an atomic bomb as it can lead towards an energy crisis, interprovincial harmony, and steer youth bulge to become the victim of extremism. Nevertheless, all is not gloomy for Pakistan. The country can come out of these troubled waters by spreading awareness, capacity-building of institutions, and promoting education. Besides, the government needs a well-timed course improvement for something overarching and cross-cutting.
A bird’s eye view of the current situation
Pakistan ranks number 5 on the list of most populous countries globally. Being one of the most deprived states in the world, the country has one of the highest population growth rates at about 3.0 per cent annually, which means that the population is likely to double in the next few decades. As per the projection of the United Nations, by the year 2050, Pakistan is expected to become the third most populated country in the world. It is quite a problematic condition, particularly bearing in mind the extent of poverty in Pakistan.
How the population growth in Pakistan can erupt like an Atomic Bomb?
According to the Prime Ministerial advisor Shahnaz Wazir Ali, “There are dire, adverse consequences of unplanned, rapid population growth. The state’s resources are limited and already under pressure; with unplanned growth, demands will be enormous”.
Energy crisis and stress on natural resources
Cumulative stress on natural resources due to ever-increasing population growth means these non-renewable resources are depleted quickly. Furthermore, an increase in population illustrates greater than before demand for resources such as water, food, and energy. Gloomily, the consumption of natural resources more than availability may drive the country into the swamp. The population explosion in Pakistan is injuring already limited resources. As a developing nation, the country does not have ample fuel and food to meet our needs. Consequently, overpopulation causes depletion of resources, ultimately pushing the country to the wall of energy crisis.
Governance problems
Governance problems and overpopulation are interlinked. This burgeoning snag, over and over again, lays tension on government infrastructure and resources. It might be problematic for the government to provide basic survival amenities equally to the masses in an overpopulated country. Unfortunately, rapid population growth has led the government towards shambles and made it challenging for the administration to govern competently.
Provincial disharmony
Owing to uncontrollable population growth, interprovincial discords can increase. For instance, numerous disputes among provinces can be seen over the distribution of water, electricity, and natural resources, along with the number of seats in the National Assembly. However, there is a dissatisfaction in Punjab by the deprived provinces. As a result of an increase in population, this resentment may worsen and explode like an atomic bomb.
Massive social discontentment and poor living standards
Rapid progression in population restricts economic resources to be spent on the social sector. Therefore, in an overpopulated state, a considerable budget is spent on consumption, and little is saved for development activities. As a result, the health, education, and welfare sectors become the quarry of this cut in growth expenditures. Overpopulation has reduced the per capita income of the country. So, the standard of living has also fallen substantially. In addition, massive discontentment ascending amongst the masses might pose a grave threat to democracy and interfere with existing socioeconomic and political order.
Poverty
Overpopulation and poverty are closely connected. Owing to the bourgeoning population, limited access to food, shelter, education, unemployment, overwrought infrastructure, and inadequate distribution of limited resources eventually trap people in poverty. As it is aptly said by Rabbi Royan, “There is a close association between population and poverty. All evidence points to the fact that if you look at households that are big, there is a strong chance that these households will be poor”. Poverty, coupled with unemployment and other economic problems, contributes to crimes.
Terrorism and extremism
Through low literacy rates, less vocational as well as technical skills, and lack of economic opportunities, this youth bulge can swiftly become the victim of extremism. Ironically, Pakistan is combatting its decisive battle against terrorism. Poverty, limited resources, and lack of opportunities, in turn, can create circumstances that are conducive to the occurrence of terrorism. On the other hand, several extremist organisations are striving to hire young and deprived Pakistanis by proposing heavy incomes. Unless this population is treated as an asset for the country through social sector development, it can lead to an eruption similar to an atomic bomb.
How can Pakistan defuse this exploding overpopulation bomb?
As every problem has a solution, there are some pragmatic steps to counter the catastrophic perils of overpopulation. First and foremost, running to control population growth is raising massive public awareness regarding family planning. Also, to address the issue of population growth, building new institutions is essential in reducing population growth in Pakistan. The government needs to prioritise long-term and sustained efforts to accomplish population control and improve the citizens’ quality of life. Lastly, education plays a vital role in reducing population growth. Particularly, empowering women through education can work as a catalyst in reducing the fertility rate in Pakistan. Hence, raising awareness, executing effective strategies, and promoting sustainable practices can ensure a viable future for generations to come.
Critical Analysis
Critically analysing the debate, uncontrolled population growth lays massive stress on limited resources, and the far-reaching rivalry paves the way for social unrest, skirmishes, and even war-like situations. Moreover, unemployment, poverty, and unsustainable economic growth have further exacerbated social tensions. The detonation of the overpopulation bomb has put the nation’s future in jeopardy. Still, Pakistan can tackle its challenges of population growth. In this perspective, massive public awareness campaigns, the building of new institutions, and making education available universally must be assured in the country.
Conclusion
In a nutshell, unfettered population growth is no less than a blasphemy that poses an everlasting threat to the development of Pakistan. It is high time the exploding bomb of overpopulation was diffused. Therefore, specific actions must be taken to ensure a sustainable future for the country. On the contrary, if the government does not deal with population growth competently, this menace of rapid population growth is more likely to cause destruction similar to the one caused by an atomic bomb explosion. Actions must be taken for the sake of successive future generations to live.
“When the family is small, whatever little they have, they can share. There is peace”.
Philip Njuguna
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