Three men who have fathered nearly 100 children among them are doing their bit for Pakistan’s skyrocketing population, which is being counted for the first time in 19 years.
However, in a nation where experts warn that the surging populace is gouging into hard-won economic gains and social services, the three patriarchs are unconcerned.
Allah will provide, they say.
Photo: AFP
Pakistan has the highest birth rate in South Asia at about three children per woman, according to the World Bank and Pakistani government figures, and the census is expected to show that growth remains high.
“God has created the entire universe and all human beings, so why should I stop the natural process of a baby’s birth?” said Gulzar Khan, a father of 36, citing one of the strongest influences in the region: the belief that Islam prohibits family planning.
Tribal enmity is another factor in the northwest, where the 57-year-old lives in the city of Bannu with his third wife, who is pregnant.
Photo: AFP
“We wanted to be stronger,” Khan told reporters surrounded by 23 of his offspring
So many, he said. They do not need friends to play a full cricket match.
Polygamy is legal, but rare in Pakistan, and families like Khan’s are not the norm, although the beliefs he holds are widespread.
Photo: AFP
The previous census, in 1998, showed that Pakistan had a population of up to 135 million.
Estimates suggest the new census — carried out earlier this year, with the preliminary results due by the end of next month — will put the figure closer to 200 million. The economy is expanding faster than it has in a decade and last month Islamabad hiked its development budget by 40 percent.
However, observers have said that the population boom is negating any progress, using up resources in a young country where jobs are scarce and nearly 60 million people live below the poverty line.
“It definitely is a problem, because it is affecting health outcomes adversely and also eating into development gains,” said Zeba Sathar, country director for the UN population council.
Sathar said the census would show that growth has slowed due to lower fertility rates, though she said it would remain among the highest rates in the region.
“There has to be a clear enunciation of need to slow growth as a positive policy lever and then next a good, effective health system that provides information and services of quality,” she said.
Khan’s brother, Mastan Khan Wazir — one of his 15 siblings — also has three wives.
So far, Wazir has only fathered 22 children, but, like his brother, he says his grandchildren are too numerous to count.
The 70-year-old, with his bushy moustaches and bejewelled fingers, is a minor celebrity in North Waziristan tribal district, where his blinged out jeep — done in the style of Pakistan’s famous “jingle trucks,” with Pashto music pouring from the stereo — is a familiar sight.
“God has promised that he will provide food and resources, but people have weak faith,” he told reporters, wearing a traditional Waziristani turban.
In the southwestern city of Quetta in Balochistan Province, Jan Mohammed — the father of 38 children — agreed, despite having previously called on the government to provide resources for his family.
Jan last year said he was looking for a fourth wife as he continues his mission of having 100 children.
No woman has yet agreed, but he has not given up, he said.
“The more Muslims grow, the more their enemies will fear them... Muslims should go for more and more children,” he said.
Denied their husbands’ permission to speak, none of the three men’s wives could give their views.
There is “abundant” awareness in Pakistan about the need for birth spacing, or allowing a woman’s body to rest for at least 18 months between pregnancies, Sathar said.
“The need is for clear information about the methods available, how they work, their possible side effects and where to get them. That is missing,” she added.
Giving women more of a choice in the matter could help, said Aisha Sarwari, a feminist who has previously written on population and women’s rights.
“Access to birth control for women can be a game changer,” she said. “Ultimately the impact is that there are more resources to go around... Empowered women have fewer children and this creates a mindset that leads to prosperity within families that is likely to be emulated across communities.”
Khan said there could be some benefits to slowing down.
For one thing, tribal enmity in the northwest has decreased in recent years, he said.
“Now, with the grace of God, the situation has changed — war and fighting is finished — so, now, a decrease in the population would not be bad,” he said.
It would also free him up for other leisure activities, he said, adding: “If one had fewer children, one would have more time to make love with his wives.”
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