Pakistan’s future depends not only on the roads we build, but also on the technologies we adopt, or the industries we grow. It is shaped by something far more fundamental: how we nurture our youngest children in the earliest years of life.
The science is unequivocal. The first years of a child’s life are the most critical period for brain development, laying the foundation for learning, health, behaviour and productivity throughout adulthood. Yet too often, discussions about child development begin when children enter school, by which time many opportunities have already been missed.
That is why parenting matters. Parenting is not simply a private family responsibility. It is a public investment with far-reaching consequences for national prosperity. When parents and caregivers provide care, affection and responsive interaction, children are more likely to survive, thrive and reach their full potential.
Today only 30 per cent of young children in Pakistan receive adequate early stimulation, leaving the majority without the play, talk and interaction essential for early brain development. At the same time, more than half of young children are estimated to be at risk of poor development due to factors including stunting, poor nutrition, inadequate health and poverty.
These early disadvantages affect not only children and their families, but Pakistan’s future human capital. A child born in Pakistan today is expected to be only 41 per cent as productive in adulthood as they could be with full health and complete education, compared to around 75-80 per cent in many high-income countries.
Evidence-based parenting programmes globally show strong results: improved child survival and growth, better caregiving practices, reduced violence against children, and improved learning outcomes. The economic case is equally compelling. Every dollar invested in early childhood development can generate up to $13 in returns over a child’s lifetime through improved health, education and productivity.
When we invest in parenting support through health and nutrition services, education, social protection, community engagement and family-friendly policies such as parental leave, we are doing more than helping individual families. We are strengthening human capital, reducing inequality and building more resilient societies.
The Government of Pakistan has placed early childhood development and parenting among its priorities under URAAN Pakistan, reflecting a broader shift towards investing in human capital from the earliest years. Commitment to early childhood development (ECD) is gaining international recognition. Earlier this year, we joined leaders at the Global Caregivers’ Forum on Parenting in Madrid, where Pakistan was recognised as a global champion for its leadership in advancing parenting support and nurturing care.
The National Early Childhood Development Policy Framework was launched in 2025 and recognises parenting and nurturing care as central to children’s development and Pakistan’s national development priorities. The focus now is on scaling these commitments with urgency and quality.
Solutions already exist. Parenting programmes delivered through government systems, with UNICEF support, have reached more than 627,000 caregivers across 122 districts, demonstrating that support can be provided at scale and adapted to local communities. In Sindh, UNICEF's innovative parenting approach, Play Labs, is helping parents strengthen relationships with their children through the simple act of play and is being considered for further scale-up across the country as an integral part of ‘Child Friendly Communities’.
For five-year-old Atif, that means spending time each morning building toys from recycled materials with his father before he leaves for work, a small routine that strengthens their bond and supports his early development. As Syed Asim Ali, a father and teacher from Jacobabad, reflected: "My eyes truly opened when I came to the PlayLab. I am a teacher, but I did not know how to properly engage with my own children. I learned that PlayLab begins at home. That is when I realised that although I am a teacher, I am a father first”.
These stories remind us that nurturing care is built through families’ everyday actions, supported by effective systems and accessible services. With the right support, families can provide children with the safe, responsive and stimulating environments they need to develop, learn and flourish.
However, reaching hundreds of thousands of caregivers is an important step in a country where millions of children could benefit. Building on existing systems offers an opportunity to scale parenting support by making health, education and social protection services more responsive to child development and ensuring parents and caregivers have the knowledge and support they need.
Millions of children in Pakistan continue to face preventable developmental delays, not because the science or solutions are unavailable, but because proven approaches have not yet reached every family. Developmental screening is also not yet routine in primary healthcare, which can delay identification and access to timely support. Therefore, the Government of Pakistan is prioritising the early screening of children’s developmental milestones, delays and disabilities for timely interventions.
Recognising that early developmental challenges can have lasting consequences if not identified and addressed in time, the Government of Pakistan is focusing on newborn hearing and vision screening, developmental monitoring, and timely referrals, which can significantly improve outcomes. Learning from other countries, efforts are underway to explore options for aligning developmental checks with immunisation schedules to ensure continuous monitoring.
The goal is clear: every child must not only survive, but have the opportunity to grow, learn and reach their full potential. Only then can Pakistan realise its human capital potential.
We have global evidence, local experience, government commitment and a strong policy framework. What is needed now is sustained national commitment: ensuring every caregiver and care provider is playing a role, and every parent has access to evidence-based support during the most important years of a child’s life.
Pakistan has nearly 36.5 million children under the age of five. If this generation grows up with nurturing care and positive stimulation, the country’s development trajectory can be fundamentally transformed. Investing in parenting is investing in Pakistan’s future.
Ahsan Iqbal is the minister of planning, development and special initiatives.
Pernille Ironside is the UNICEF representative in Pakistan.
