ISLAMABAD: Federal Health Minister Mustafa Kamal on Wednesday described unchecked population growth as one of Pakistan’s most pressing challenges, warning that the country adds around 5.8 million people every year, making it not only a public health issue but also a matter of national security and economic stability. Addressing the launch of the Waqfa (Birth Spacing) awareness campaign, Kamal said Pakistan’s annual population increase exceeds the population of New Zealand, while every five years the country adds a population roughly equal to that of Australia. He noted that 26 million children remain out of school and hospitals are already under immense pressure, saying the country’s existing system could no longer cope with the growing burden. The minister said birth spacing should not be linked to concerns over sustenance, stressing that Islam does not prohibit family planning and that Allah has promised to provide sustenance for every individual. “We need to change people’s mindset,” he said, adding that scholars and people from all schools of thought were now engaging with the issue. Kamal said around 11,000 women die each year during pregnancy and childbirth, describing the deaths as a “silent national tragedy” that demands urgent attention. He added that about 1,300 children under the age of five die every day, amounting to nearly 400,000 child deaths annually, and stressed that appropriate spacing between births was essential for the health of both mothers and children. He also announced that the government had abolished the 18% tax on contraceptives and proposed a 32% incentive for provinces that successfully reduce population growth. According to Kamal, greater access to contraceptives could help prevent around 1.5 million births annually.