One Father, Two Wives and 20 Kids
BLITZER: Here's a look at this hour's "Hot Shots." In Germany, residents make flower seed bombs that are guaranteed to flourish even in urban environments. In Greece, a tourist strolls through ancient Roman ruins in Athens. In China, a city skyline lights up in celebration of the annual Asian beach games. And in England, a little boy enjoys playing in a rainbow sand box. An innovative new attraction in London. "Hot Shots," pictures coming in from around the world. U.S. ally Pakistan has been waging battle against the Islamist militants, but it may be facing an even bigger threat from within. CNN's Reza Sayah reports Pakistan's population is surging at a nearly uncontrollable rate.</s>REZA SAYAH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Then it was -- 20 brothers and sisters, all of the kids belonging to dad and his two wives who didn't want to be on camera. (voice-over): The moments have so many children. Dad admits, it gets confusing. Sometimes I forget their names and I ask for help, he says and the family may still get bigger. (on camera): They're happy to have more kids, but population fast becoming this country's most dangerous crisis.</s>AKBAR LAGHARI, DEPARTMENT OF POPULATION WELFARE: I consider the population problem the biggest problem of this country.</s>ZEBA SATHAR, POPULATION COUNCIL: It's of huge concern that we are growing at one of the fastest rates in Asia.</s>SAYAH (voice-over): With well over 180 million people, Pakistan's the sixth most populous country in the world.</s>LAGHARI: Future is bleak because of this population.</s>SAYAH: Akbar Laghari of the Population Welfare Department admits the government shares the blame. Pakistan doesn't do enough to offer effective family planning services and teach people about birth control.</s>LAGHARI: We do not have that much mobility. We do not have that much sources.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: As we're doing a lot of research, these women wanted to have a child later, but they just didn't find the services.</s>SAYAH: Another challenge, a deeply conservative culture. Many here view birth control as un-Islamic. None of these methods is allowed in Islam says this Muslim cleric. Why should Muslims worry about population when God cares for everyone? Today just one out of five Pakistani women uses modern birth control, a factor that fuels Pakistan's growth by roughly 4 million people every year, Pakistan is on pace to double its population in just 40 years.</s>LAGHARI: Everything is going to explode.</s>SAYAH (on camera): Everything's going to explode?</s>LAGHARI: Because of the population.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think it's a frightening idea.</s>SAYAH: Frightening because Pakistan already suffers from widespread poverty, joblessness and energy crisis, a woeful education system and the bloody fight against Islamist militants. Imagine the same problems if the population doubled?</s>LAGHARI: Naturally there will be epidemics, wars, fights for food and water and for everything.</s>SAYAH (voice-over): The moment children are already paying the price. A family can only afford to send four of their 20 children to school. The rest work to support the family, denied their most basic rights to have a childhood, an education and dreams of a better life. (on camera): But there's still hope for Pakistan experts say. They point to Muslim countries like Iran and Bangladesh that curbed their population despite similar challenges. Experts say those countries started with the political will to do something and spent a lot of time and resources on family planning efforts. Pakistan can do it too, they say, but time is running out. Reza Sayah, CNN.