Pakistan's experts call for new provinces to improve governance and public services

ISLAMABAD: A roundtable discussion was held at Islamabad Policy Research Institute (IPRI) on the need for new provinces to improve the governance and public service delivery on Wednesday. A very impressive cast of politicians, public policy practitioners, academics, and media attended the roundtable.

The discussion highlighted the administrative, economic, and political factors that necessitate new provinces. Pakistan’s largest province, Punjab, was cited as an example, with its massive size comparable to 196 countries. Experts proposed two logical solutions: converting administrative units into new provinces or merging several districts into new provinces. However, they acknowledged that regional political elites and parties may resist this change, fearing it could undermine their interests.

To overcome this hurdle, participants suggested that parliament should take the lead in forming a commission or parliamentary committee to create new provinces. This would involve consultations with all stakeholders, including media and intelligentsia.

The roundtable was addressed by Owais Ahmad Ghani, former governor Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan; Shakeel Durrani, Executive Director SOPREST; Ishtiak Ahmad Khan, former federal secretary; Daniyal Aziz, former federal minister; Muhammad Hassan, former ambassador; Zubaida Jalal, former federal minister; Amb Asif Durrani, former special representative to Afghanistan; Hafiz Ahsan Ahmad, corporate and legal attorney; Dr Shoaib Suddle, eminent jurist and Murtaza Solangi, former caretaker minister.

Key takeaways from the discussion include:

Empowerment of local governments: Devolving powers to local governments would facilitate effective governance and public service delivery. – Bottom-up approach: New provinces would enable a bottom-up approach to governance, with local governments having true fiscal and political autonomy. –

International examples: Countries like Afghanistan, Indonesia, and Turkey have successfully implemented multiple provinces, suggesting Pakistan could benefit from a similar approach. –

Addressing governance issues: The root of Pakistan’s governance problems lies in the lack of effective local government modules, which has led to interference, power struggles, and chaos. By creating new provinces, Pakistan can improve the delivery of public goods, such as law and order, civic amenities, and infrastructure development. As the country navigates its complex governance challenges, this proposal offers a promising solution.