'Jahan par 8 baje market bandh...': Pakistan defence minister's bizarre claim about population growth

Pakistan Defence Minister Khawaja Asif's bizarre claim that the early shutting of markets caused a drop in the birth rate is going viral on social media.

"Jahan par 8 baje markets bandh ki hain wahan pe bacchon ki tadaad kam hai paida hone ki (the places where markets have closed down by 8 pm, the population growth is less," he said during a press conference.

While it was not clear why he said this, it is likely that the response was to justify the government's recent move to shut down the markets by 8 pm to conserve energy.

Asif's clip went viral with many taking to Twitter to share this claim.  

Naila Inayat, a journalist, shared the short clip saying: "New research, babies can’t be made after 8 pm. “There’s no population increase in countries where markets close at 8 pm,” defence minister."

Another user, Dr Fahim, asked: "What's the mythology behind this logic? The medical world is totally shocked and trying to contact him."

Just two days ago, Khawaja Asif announced that the federal cabinet had approved an energy conservation plan, under which the timings of markets and wedding halls have been curtailed.

After the decision, Asif briefed the media and said that the timings of wedding halls and markets across the country will be limited to 10 pm and 8:30 pm respectively.

"The plan will change the overall lifestyle and habit pattern of the nation and save us Rs 60 billion," he said.

Pakistan's energy needs are mostly met by imported oil. The country now wants to conserve energy so that it does not have to shell out its foreign currency on oil imports. The country is in the middle of an economic crisis as it is struggling to pay back external debts due to faltering growth, high inflation, and declining foreign reserves.