Islamabad, October 5 (Daily Kiran) : In Islamabad, the discussion surrounding the reorganization of regions in Pakistan has intensified once again, with Sindh province becoming a focal point of controversy. A recent report warns that the costs associated with such divisions are substantial, as each new province requires a governor, cabinet, secretariat, police command, and administrative machinery.
These resources could be utilized for developing schools, hospitals, or infrastructure. Instead, they often become tools for political gain and bargaining, diverting limited resources from public service to political maneuvering.
Proposals to divide Punjab or Sindh provinces resurface every few years, often presented as solutions to complex administrative challenges. However, increasing the number of provinces does not inherently bring decision-makers and residents closer together. If Pakistan were to create 10 or 12 new provinces, the outcome would likely be an increase in bureaucratic layers, such as more secretariats, governors, and assemblies, perpetuating a culture of centralized control, as noted in the report by Asian News Post.
The report states, “The costs of such reorganization are not insignificant. Each new province necessitates a governor, cabinet, secretariat, police command, and administrative machinery—resources that could have been used for schools, hospitals, or infrastructure. Worse still, it creates new avenues for patronage, leading to the diversion of limited resources into political bargaining rather than public service.”
It further explains that the electoral system exacerbates the issue. Metropolitan economies require leadership that is accountable to the entire city. However, Pakistan’s fragmented ward structure incentivizes representatives to maximize benefits for their specific areas, resulting in a lack of coordination in transport planning, housing, and economic strategies—a fragmentation that highlights the failures of provincial administration.
The debate over provinces is not solely about administration; it also revolves around resource control and who benefits from it. Since 2023, Pakistan has been grappling with a challenging economic stabilization program, which has stifled growth and placed a burden on citizens in the name of rebuilding fiscal and foreign reserves. These reserves remain depleted, and reorganizing provinces against the will of the people risks escalating identity-based politics in a nation with diverse ethnic groups.
This situation has also fueled discontent among Pakistan’s youth, who are already facing unemployment, poverty, and systemic failures. Statistics indicate that half of Pakistan’s population lives below the poverty line, 28 million children do not attend school, and four out of ten children experience stunted growth. Additionally, three-quarters of the population has access to contaminated water, while both domestic and foreign investors shy away due to security concerns. The Asian News Post report concludes that creating new provinces amid these issues appears misguided and dangerous.
In July, Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi stated that the current governance system has failed and is incapable of addressing the emerging challenges. During his speech at the Pakistan Economic Summit, Naqvi called for dialogue among political parties to improve the existing governance framework and proposed the creation of new provinces alongside administrative reforms.
As reported by the major newspaper Dawn, Naqvi emphasized, “The system we are living under has failed. It cannot resolve the issues we face.” He warned that if this system persists, Pakistan will still be discussing the same problems a decade from now, stressing the need for a systemic reset. He pointed out that despite being an agricultural nation, Pakistan continues to import wheat.
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