ISLAMABAD: Sociologists and security experts described rapid population growth as one of the most serious threats to Pakistan’s national security, warning that large numbers of out-of-school and unemployed youth undermine human development and increase vulnerability to instability and extremism.
The Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad (ISSI), in collaboration with the Population Council Pakistan, convened a high-level roundtable meeting with security and policy experts on “Rapid Population Growth and its Security Implications.” The meeting brought together senior policymakers, security and public policy experts, academics, and development practitioners to examine population dynamics as a critical non-traditional security challenge for Pakistan.
Dr. Ali Muhammad Mir, Senior Director, Programs and Research, Population Council Pakistan, welcomed the participants and underscored that population dynamics are no longer peripheral to national security thinking but central to it. He highlighted that Pakistan’s population has surpassed 256 million in 2025, making it the fifth most populous country globally, with a growth rate exceeding 2.1 percent.
Ambassador Khalid Mahmood, Chairman ISSI Board of Governors, thanked the Population Council for partnering with the Institute and noted that demographic pressures have far-reaching implications for governance, resource management, and national resilience. He observed that rising demand for food, water, energy, and public services, coupled with rapid urbanisation, is intensifying social and economic pressures. Drawing on international experiences from Asia, including Bangladesh, Indonesia, and Vietnam, Ambassador Khalid Mahmood noted that sustained investments in education, health, and family planning can help transform demographic challenges into opportunities.
Ali Mazhar, Director Communications, Population Council Pakistan, outlined Pakistan’s key population trends, including high fertility rates, a large youth cohort, widespread out-of-school children, low female labour force participation, and pronounced regional disparities-especially in Balochistan. While tracing the evolution of population policy and introducing the Tawazun (Balance) Narrative, Mr Mazhar stated that this policy promotes informed and voluntary family decision-making, universal access to family planning, and alignment between population growth and available resources.
Placing these dynamics within contemporary security literature, Dr. Neelum Nigar, Director, Centre for Strategic Perspectives, ISSI, emphasised that population growth functions as a risk multiplier. She further stated that when governance capacity lags behind, it intensifies human security pressures, undermining state legitimacy, and contributing to internal instability, particularly in peripheral regions.
The moderated panel discussion featured Air Marshal (Retd.) Farhat Hussain and Haroon Sharif, Chairman, Pakistan Regional Economic Forum, with Dr. Saima Zubair serving as moderator. Air Marshal Farhat Hussain described rapid population growth as one of the most serious threats to Pakistan’s national security, warning that large numbers of out-of-school and unemployed youth undermine human development and increase vulnerability to instability and extremism.
Haroon Sharif offered a political economy perspective, noting the growing mismatch between Pakistan’s demographic pressures and its economic capacity. He highlighted declining growth rates, constrained fiscal space, rising debt servicing, and limited job creation for millions entering the labour market annually.
Published in The NEWS on December 22, 2025.
