Properly educated, trained, productivity engaged population an asset: AJK President

National solidarity on Feb 5 to inflict a blow on Indian designs: Speakers
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MIRPUR (AJK): Dec 15 (APP): President Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), Sardar Masood Khan on Tuesday said properly educated, trained and the productively engaged population is an asset for the country.

“Proper population planning with a sharp focus on health and nutrition needs of mother and child has become inevitable to turn Pakistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir into a developed, prosperous and welfare society,” he said.

He was talking to a seven-member delegation of Pathfinders International which called on him here under the leadership of AJK Population Welfare Minister Mustafa Bashir Abbasi and Country Director Pathfinder, Tabinda Sarosh.

President Masood said that rapid population growth and limited resources were creating hurdles and complicated problems in Pakistan and AJK.

While welcoming the memorandum of understanding signed by Pathfinders International and the AJK government for launching an awareness campaign about
mother-child health in the liberated territory, the state president said government and

President Secretariat would fully facilitate this important initiative.

“This is a timely initiative taken in the right direction because overpopulation has been a common variable while tackling major Sustainable Development Goals,” he said and added that management of the population growth rate has become a priority for the government

to achieve the desired development.
Earlier, briefing the president, the head of the delegation said Pathfinders, an international organization, had been working for the women’s rights in terms reproductive health in

various countries of the world for the last six decades.
Under the program specially tailored for AJK and prepared in consultation with the Population Welfare Department, the Pathfinder would impart modern training to service

delivery officials to overcome the communication barriers, he said.

Keeping in view the terrain and limitations of AJK, the campaign would keep the focus on door to door services by making available mobile facilities to the target population, he said.

Speaking on the occasion Secretary AJK Population Welfare, Department, Raja Razzaq highlighted challenges faced by people of AJK that included resource constraints, improvement in service delivery, up-gradation of facilities and capacity building.

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