The Senate on Monday passed a resolution recognizing the importance of commemorating World Population Day on 11th July each year, as designated by the United Nations to highlight the significance of population issues.
It said that acknowledging that the theme for World Population Day 2023 of “Unleashing the power of gender equality: Uplifting the voices of women and girls to unlock our world’s infinite possibilities,” is particularly relevant for Pakistan and other developing countries where there is an urgent need to prioritize the rights, well-being and empowerment of women and girls.
The resolution showing concern that as the world’s fifth most populous country, Pakistan’s population is projected to reach 403 million by 2050 which is expected to contribute to challenges such as poverty and unemployment, food scarcity and water crisis, housing shortages, healthcare access and human capital development, depletion of natural resources and environmental degradation.
The resolution observing that the population rise is inextricably linked with women’s reproductive health and well-being and often driven by a lack of reproductive rights for women, lack of birth control awareness, child marriages, limited access to education and low female workforce participation.
The resolution acknowledging that by effectively managing the population and empowering women with reproductive rights, Pakistan can unlock the potential of its human capital, improve social indicators and build a prosperous and equitable society.
The resolution urged upon the government to engage in multi-sectoral collaboration, involving all Governmental agencies including Provincial Governments, civil society organizations and relevant stakeholders to work collectively towards achieving sustainable population growth and gender equality”.
The Senate also passed eight bills.
These include; “The Contempt of Majlis-e-Shoora (Parliament) Bill, 2023”, “The Horizon University Bill, 2023”, “National University for Security Sciences, Islamabad bi11,2022”, “NFC Institute of Engineering and Technology Multan (Amendment) Bill” 2023”, Pakistan Institute of Management, Sciences and Technology Bill, 2023,”The Code of Criminal Procedure (Amendment) Bill, 2023”, “The Pakistan Nursing Council (Amendment) Bill, 2023” and “The Trade Organizations (Amendment) Bill, 2022.”
Minister of State for Law and Justice Shahadat Awan said Lyari Expressway will become functional from 1st of next month.
Speaking on a motion in the House, he said the delay in the opening of the project was aimed at ensuring safety and security of the people.
The Minister said for the public safety, we have conducted a survey on this project and after reviewing the details of the survey it will be opened for public transport.
He said we have planned to run imported electric buses on this expressway to facilitate the people of Karachi.
The House will now meet tomorrow at 10:30 a.m.
