ISLAMABAD, Jul 14 (APP):Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial on Friday underlined the importance of a comprehensive strategy to control the rapid increase in the country’s population, saying the United Nations (UN) was also assisting Pakistan in that regard.
He was addressing the opening session of a two-day national conference on “Resilient Pakistan: Calibrating Population and Resources”, organized by the Law and Justice Commission of Pakistan.
The CJP said the purpose of fundamental rights in the Constitution was also the happiness of the people and it was the state’s responsibility to take care of the health and needs of the mother and child.
How Iran and Bangladesh overcame the population problem was a case study, he said, adding there was a need for education and training of the population and “it is more important to make the population beneficial”.
CJP Bandial said it was not appropriate to leave the responsibility of every matter to the government. He, however, added that the provision of basic human rights under the Constitution could bring happiness to the people.
“The Constitution of Pakistan not only gives the right to live but also ensures good quality of life, but also protects the fundamental right of employment,” he added. The Constitution was not only a protector of rights regarding individual but also family life, he said.
He said in Article 35 of the Constitution, which is related to (Principal of Policy), it was stated that “the state will have the responsibility to take care of the child, his mother and the family.”
In the same way, he added, the courts were the guardians to ensure the fundamental rights.
The CJP said,”As a judge I do not only look at right and wrong but in most cases other factors are also considered. We should first consider the human and public rights, which are the rights that need to be protected and how these rights can be protected.”
He said today’s narrative was not to control the population, “but it is the desire that how the population can be made useful so that the population cannot only meet their needs but also contribute to the welfare of the country and society”.
Education is needed for that, but “we need to understand how the goals of a prosperous society can be achieved. In this regard, the most important and fundamental role of the state is the state’s priorities for utilizing its resources,” he added.
He said,”We expect the government for everything, but we need to promote the concept of partnership in the society so that the society can also play its role.”
He reminded that the verses of the Holy Quran that were recited at the beginning of the ceremony were about the views of Muslims with reference to wealth, how the rich people of the society should help the poor and the needy.
“In Islam, it is directed to help the needy, which starts with one’s relatives. Islam talks about the stability and prosperity of the family.
“We need to implement these values while we are inclined towards individual actions,” he added.
The CJP said a generation ago, “most of us would remember that relatives used to help each other and some of us were also helped by relatives for education”.
The chief justice on the occasion also appreciated the organizers for holding the conference.
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