akistani father Gulzar Khan with his 36 children from his three wives, in the northwestern town of Bannu. Pakistan has the highest birth rate in South Asia at around three children per woman, according to the World Bank and government figures.
God has created the entire universe and all human beings, so why should I stop the natural process of a baby’s birth?” asks Gulzar Khan, a father of 36, citing one of the strongest influences in the region: the belief that Islam prevents family planning.
Tribal enmity is another factor in the northwest, where the 57-year-old lives in the city of Bannu with his third wife, who is pregnant.
“We wanted to be stronger,” the 57-year-old tells, surrounded by 23 of his offspring – so many, he observes, they don’t need friends to play a full cricket match.