Islamabad, May 30 (IANS) Pakistan's per capita income has gone up to $846 this year, the highest since independence, says Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz.
'We are back on the high growth trajectory after a gap of more than two decades,' Aziz said. He told an International Ulema Conference on Population that Pakistan still had a long way to go to before it ranked as a middle-income country.
'We recognise that high population growth, high population density, unbalanced demography and increasing urbanisation are serious setbacks to our economy, resources, planning and sustainable development,' he was quoted as saying by The Daily Times.
He urged religious scholars to educate people about family planning, which, he said, was a concept that was fully compatible with Islamic teachings.
'Our target should be to encourage married couples, youth and underprivileged groups to enjoy the benefits of progress and realise the importance of raising a family that is manageable in size,' he said.
© 2006 Indo-Asian News Service |