LAHORE: Balochistan Think Tank Network (BTTN) joined hands with the Pakistan Association of Pakistan in their collaborative participation during the 24th Annual Conference organized at Forman Christian University, Lahore, on November 21-22.
Headed by Brig Agha Ahmad Gul (R), the BTTN delegation, including Director Research Dr Maria Malik, Associate Director Aadersh Hamza, and Fahad Abrar, showcased their engagement. Two researchers, Manahil Bazai and Muneeb Ur Rahman presented their insightful research through poster presentations.
Muneeb’s research on the title of ‘The Quest for Desired Proportion of Children and Its Impact on Family Planning’ suggested that although policies that are focused on reducing family size are essential, more focus should be on the policies that could empower females and reduce the desire and race for a male child.
Manahil’s research title ‘Women’s Autonomy and Inclusiveness in Decision Making for Family Planning: A Case Study of Quetta’ contributed to the existing literature by exploring the extent of females’ autonomy in the conservative society of Quetta.
It also underlined important factors that affect this autonomy with education being the primary contributor.
Conference’ sessions
The two-day event, on the theme of ‘Healthy Families and Communities in a Changing Society: The Role of Family Planning,’ featured 4 plenary and 6 technical sessions addressing different aspects of the main theme.
Findings and discussions encompassed the success stories of countries like Türkiye, Bangladesh, Iran, and Nepal in reducing population growth, the important ingredients for effective family planning, and challenges hindering progress, including the imposition of a 17 percent sales tax on contraceptives.
Key insights also touched upon the macro problems of the population, stressing on the need for a collective commitment to selected schemes addressing the population crisis.
The positive measures taken, such as the CCI plan of action after the 2017 census, were acknowledged, yet challenges in implementation and the lack of political will were underlined.
