Pakistan Population Exceeding That of USA’s is NOT a Good Thing.

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By Sajjad Suhail-Sindhu, Edited By Adam Rizvi, The India Observer, TIO:

Dear Ambassador,

I am a Pakistani born British American, and of the 3 countries I call home, none provide me with as much thought, as much provocation as the perennial “state” of the State of Pakistan.

I write this as a rebuttal of your comments, during your attendance on the day of “Pakistan Day Parade,”about Pakistan’s population growth. Your statement should have extracted an immediate rebuttal. You appeared to liken, though you did not make that connection, that an increase in Pakistan’s population to exceed that of the United States, to an increase in Pakistan’s economic productivity.

Mr. Ambassador, at the present time, with the US population at 340 million, and an economy of of 30 Trillion US dollars, gives the US a GDP per capitaof, $89,000.0

I wonder if you have thought out your near “boasting” that Pakistan’s population will soon exceed that of the United States.

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Pakistan’s present GDP per capita is about $1,800. It is very probable that Pakistan’s economy will only worsen in the coming years. If Pakistan’s population reaches 340 million while the economy stays stagnant, its nominal GDP per capita would drop to between $1,097 to $1,170. This is a significant decrease from the latest available figures. Pakistan can not feed herlarge population, even at the present level. Your boastful statement did not follow with any proposed economic plans that will cater to the needs of such uncontrollable rises in numbers.

In lieu of you not having provided such information, I thought I’d undertake a tertiary assessment of what is necessary for a country facing ever increasing population numbers, and the negative ramifications thereafter, should that nation not meet her obligations to that end, for I’m certain, you have not thought about this, for surely then, your speech’s focus would have been one of an economic pathway to encourage people, to undertake, one that will lead them back to Pakistan, a place they would rather not have left.

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I pray you know, or have, at least, thought aboutthat – and the larger ramifications of this whole sphere and its inherent ideologues.

Please allow me to indulge:

For any nation, an increasing population and its sustainable future is linked to the nation’sability to manage that population growth within its means. This requires aligning a country’s demographic trajectory with its capacity to provide for its citizens’ well-being, both economically, educationally, and environmentally, with providing other aspects such as healthcare, security and nurturing the future dreams of her children, in a world, that has left Pakistan far behind.

A population that consistently outpaces a nation’s available resources and infrastructure will trigger a cascade of detrimental effects, from a strained economy to widespread social and environmental degradation. The responsible management of population growth ensures that a country’s development is both inclusive and durable for those future generations, and unchecked population growth will undermine a nation’s prosperity as in ways that often are indeterminable until far too late.

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Though you did not say it, I feel the gist of your quip of a growing population is that it provides for an expanded potential labor market, which, I must bring to your attention, is negated if the country cannot provide sufficient training, sufficient jobs, education, and healthcare for such a growing population.

You must know, that in developing nations, rapid population growths strain budgets and make it difficult to distribute adequate resources toward improving health and education. This leads to high unemployment, underemployment, and intensified competition for limited opportunities, worsening poverty and inequality.

In contrast, managing population sizes in line with a nation’s economic capacity allows for strategic investment in human capital, leading to a more productive and skilled workforce.

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Environmentally, the pressure of a growing population on finite resources is undeniable. Each added person increases the demand for essential resources like food, water, and energy, magnifying the strain on local ecosystems. We have already seen chaotic scenes coming out of Karachi, and the ramifications of deforestation in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. These floods, caused by torrential monsoon rains and cloudbursts, have led to widespread destruction of homes and infrastructure, with significant loss of life. The Gilgit-Baltistan region has also experienced devastation from glacier lake outburst floods. These issues will continue to severely degrade a nation’s natural capital and reduce its ability to sustain its inhabitants.

By managing population sustainably, a nation can reduce its environmental footprint, conserve natural resources, and better adapt to challenges like climate change.Ultimately, linking population size to a nation’s capacity is about safeguarding a high quality of life for all citizens.

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Pakistan ‘s overcrowded urban centers and their high population density already showstrains of infrastructure, that regularly resultin overwhelmed healthcare and educational systems, traffic congestion, and inadequate housing. Continued increases in population will continue to add to increased social tension – already near breaking point and cause of ethnic divisions that continue to reduce community cohesion due to intense competition for ever reducing resources.

You provided no pathways fora proactive approach to population management, provided no meaningful, visible means of promoting access to education healthcare that must be a parcel per the increases you appear to be so very fond of – features of a society well catered to, empowering individuals in making informed decisions and help a nation create a more stable, equitable, and sustainable society.

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These are foundational principles for building a resilient nation that will thrive for generations to come – principles and their lack of implementation, that at the present time, are prominent in the Pakistani nation, by their absence.

Long ago – in the mid 1960s, in a suburb called Sattelite Town, in town called Gujranwala, in a school I attended as an 8 year old, called Khawaja School, I had a book, in which I remember reading;

“ . . . the people of other countries will recognize us as Pakistanis, and they will show their pleasure at meeting us.”

Further; “ . . . they will say, these are Pakistanis, and upon hearing this, we will smile.”

Mr. Ambassador, some 60 years later, the Pakistanis that book talked of has not come to pass. Quite the reverse, for, while that book talked of Pakistanis “visiting” abroad and coming face to face with hosting countries pleasure at meeting us, we are running away from our home country and finding ourselves here – out of necessity.

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Where Pakistan has arrived at, in the last 30 years, is akin to a river that has  had its  direction of flow determined by the malfeasance of the two criminal organizations – called political parties, that wanted the waters of that river to only flow into their own lands, those crooks who masqueraded as political parties, channelled resources, just for their own, for so long a time as to have caused near catastrophe for Pakistan and her people.

The man who gave people hope has been jailed by criminals, crushing the dreams of hundreds of millions.

Mr. Ambassador, go back to Pakistan, and in the words of Ronald Reagan, knock down the walls of that Jail, and free the one man, the people’s champion, and bring forth the realization of the hope that man brought to the minds, of the people.

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The audience you make those insipid speeches to is highly informed, and is not impressed, either by you, or by those you stand for, for neither would be electable today, were Imran Khan to be free.

Finally, you must believe me, when I say, the yet unborn of the population increases you talk of, would vote for Imran Khan.

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Curated by Humra Kidwai

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