‘Produce more kids in non-Muslim countries’: Pakistan Minister on population control

From the Hindustan Times and Pakistani magazine Global Village Space

During an event, Pakistan federal minister for Health, Abdul Qadir addressed the issue of couples who want more children and advised them to move to countries where there is less Muslim population- so that the Muslim population increases there. He passed these statements while talking about the importance of family planning and birth control in an event.

He said his government does not want to decrease the Muslim population but want Muslims to be better, more educated and provide them with better healthcare facilities.

He mentioned about the conspiracy theories related to family planning and vaccination against polio and COVID-19 are not acceptable in Islam. He said many people are still reluctant to get vaccinated. “In my neighborhood, someone refused to get vaccinated after which a doctor contacted me to convince that individual. I went to that person, who was 73 years old and tried to convince him that he should get vaccinated. But his concern was that after getting the vaccine, he may not be able to have children,” he said.

(Abdul Qadir’s) appointment as the health minister was greatly debated on social media. People asked about his credentials and experience to head an important ministry like health. The current government, however, decided to retain him as the health minister despite backlash and criticism. The government argued that he is a competent man to lead the health ministry of Pakistan.