Islamabad: Pakistan Ulema Council Chairman Hafiz Muhammad Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi has supported the use of birth spacing as it insures health of the mother and the newborn, also allowing a mother to fully cater to the needs of her existing children.
Maternal and newborn health remains an ignored state agenda in Pakistan. Pakistan's maternal mortality rate is the highest in South Asia where about 12,000 mothers die during childbirth each year.
Stressing the importance of birth spacing as a way to prevent maternal and newborn deaths, Hafiz Ashrafi in a statement issued to the press, said "I think it is not correct to believe that birth prevention is completely forbidden in Islam and Shariah. Islamic scholars have explored many conditions in this regard, which need our attention because only a healthy baby and a healthy mother can build a nation."
While acts of terrorism get more media coverage and national attention, no value is assigned to the millions of mothers and newborns who lose their lives every year. Newborns fare no better and Pakistan has one of the highest neonatal deaths in the region, with an estimated 298,000 newborns dying annually. Babies who survive the crucial 40 days after birth often remain in poor health. Many die before their 5th birthday (Pakistan's under-5 mortality was 424,377 in 2010).
Hafiz Tahir further added, "We need to think that either we want a weak and disabled nation or a healthy one. Our Holy Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (peace be upon him) directed us to build a strong nation and to become a strong Muslim Ummah as well," Hafiz Ashrafi added.
Reasons, besides financial, that contribute to maternal and newborn deaths in Pakistan, include lack of specialised care during delivery, complications of pregnancy and lack of appropriate rest period between pregnancies. Neonatal and under-5 deaths are mostly due to infections, preterm births and birth asphyxia.
One of the most effective ways of preventing maternal, neonatal and under-5 deaths is family planning and birth spacing. Birth spacing, or inter-pregnancy gap, is important as it directly affects maternal and newborn health.
'Ayyam-e-Murtazvi'
Islamabad: The birth anniversary of Amirul Momineen Hazrat Ali Ibne Abi Talib (A.S.) was observed on Friday with the spirit of faith and enthusiasm marking an end to the three-day 'Ayyam-e-Murtazvi', says a press release.
The day began with recitation from Holy Quran after Fajr prayers in mosques while Jashan and Milad gatherings were organised in all small and big cities, villages, towns, Northern Areas, Azad Kashmir, FATA, and Federal Capital Islamabad.