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Sindh faces decline in national demography
By: Ramzan Chandio
KARACHI
- The Sindh’s share in national population has declined to 22.92 per
cent during the last year.
It was claimed in Pakistan Economic Survey 2008-09 released by the
Finance Ministry.
The survey, while quoting the province wise demographic estimates
2008 of Planning and Development Division, stated that Punjab has
55.46 per cent of total population of Pakistan while Islamabad, the
capital territory, has 0.7 per cent population share in the country.
The Economic Survey showed that Sindh has 22.92 per cent share in
total population of the country, NWFP 13.73 per cent, Baluchistan
5.15 per cent and FATA stands at 2.37 per cent. But, according to
official record, Sindh’s share in national population was 23.71 per
cent in 1998 census as resources’ sharing also being made on 1998
population census.
The analysts also questioned the statistics Planning and Development
of Federal government given in Economic Survey 2008-09 and said that
how it could be justified in which population of one province is
decreased while others increased.
Meanwhile, Economic Survey presenting the outlook of population said
that the continuing high population growth would take Pakistan’s
population to 194 million by the year 2020. Pakistan still has an
unacceptably high rate of growth compared to other developing
countries.
Report said that Pakistan has a large adolescent population, in the
age group of 15-24 years entering into its reproductive phase, which
embodies high potential population growth for several decades. It
constitutes a population momentum in the future that has serious
implications for provision of schooling, health services and other
basic amenities of life for the coming decades.
Economic Survey also highlighted the urbanization and said that it
would not be possible to sustain the urban infrastructure with its
growing needs if the population continues to grow at the present
pace.
The Nation: June 13, 2009 |
