Rahim Yar KhanMian Talib HussainDivisional Bureau Chief
Rahim Yar Khan: Social and public affairs analyst Amin Zaki said that Pakistan’s current administrative division, consisting of only four provinces, is not proving effective in view of the country’s rapidly growing population. He said that the creation of new provinces can play an important role in better governance, fair distribution of resources, and provision of basic facilities to the public; however, comprehensive administrative reforms are also indispensable.
He said Pakistan’s population has exceeded 240 million, and due to division into only four provinces, each province bears an average burden of more than 60 million people, which is considered an unusually high ratio in the world. He stated that Punjab has approximately 130 million, Sindh 60 million, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 40 million, while Balochistan has about 15 million, although it comprises about 48% of the country’s area. According to him, this imbalance is creating a clear disparity in resource distribution and public service delivery.
Amin Zaki said various experts and think tanks have proposed multiple suggestions for administrative reforms in Pakistan, including models of creating 7–8, 12, 15–20, or 33–38 administrative units based on existing divisions. He said the main objective of these proposals is to provide a better and more effective governance system to the public.
He further said that merely creating new provinces is not enough; reforms in the entire governance system are necessary. According to him, the governor should be elected directly by the people so that he becomes the chief executive of the province, the legislative assembly should be formed in proportion to population, the number of ministers in federal and provincial cabinets should be limited, and under Article 140-A of the Constitution, real powers should be transferred to local governments.
Amin Zaki also mentioned challenges, saying that the creation of new provinces would require a constitutional amendment and a two-thirds majority in Parliament and relevant provincial assemblies. In addition, the establishment of a new administrative machinery would increase expenses and may also give rise to political or linguistic differences. He said that experiences of India, Nigeria, and Indonesia show that merely creating smaller administrative units is not sufficient; an effective governance system is also essential.
He concluded by saying that Pakistan urgently needs to re-evaluate its administrative structure. According to him, national consensus, transparent governance, public welfare, integrity, and merit-based policies can lead the country towards development. He stressed that strict action should be taken against elements involved in bribery, corruption, and malpractice so that the rule of law is established and the public can live a prospero
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