ISLAMABAD: The federal government has not yet made any final decision on whether Pakistan needs additional provinces, new administrative units or greater devolution of powers to the district and local-government levels, according to a senior government official.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, the senior official said the ongoing discussion about creating new provinces and administrative units was not aimed at targeting any particular province or region. The primary objective, he said, was to improve governance and make the state’s administrative system more effective, responsive and accountable to ordinary citizens.
The official emphasized that the government had not yet settled on any particular model. The debate is still at an early stage, and it would be premature to suggest that the government had already decided in favor of creating new provinces or administrative units.
According to the official, the central question is whether the existing administrative structure can be improved in a way that delivers better governance and provides tangible benefits to citizens.
He said the government was considering several possibilities, including the creation of additional provinces, the establishment of smaller administrative units and the transfer of greater powers to districts and local governments.
“No final decision has been taken so far,” the official said, adding that the government still needed to determine which approach would best serve the public interest.
The official’s comments come at a time when political debate over the creation of additional provinces and smaller administrative units has intensified. Federal ministers and political leaders have recently expressed their views on whether Pakistan’s existing administrative structure is adequate to meet the needs of its growing population.
The official said any future administrative restructuring would ultimately be assessed on the basis of whether it improves governance and produces clear benefits for ordinary people.
Focus on Governance Rather Than Political Interests
The senior official stressed that the immediate objective was not to determine the number or boundaries of potential new provinces.
Instead, the government wants to initiate a serious national debate on whether the existing administrative structure is delivering adequate public services and whether reforms are required to make government more accessible and effective.
He said the discussion should focus on the interests of citizens rather than political or regional considerations.
The official also clarified that the government had not formally endorsed any particular proposal. This distinction is important because the creation of new provinces would involve constitutional considerations, including the prescribed procedure for altering provincial boundaries.
Administrative restructuring and devolution of powers, on the other hand, can potentially be undertaken through different mechanisms without necessarily changing the country’s constitutional map.
Mohsin Naqvi’s Proposal
The debate gained further momentum after Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi recently supported putting the question before the public.
Naqvi has argued that any major administrative restructuring should ultimately reflect the will of the people. His remarks triggered broader discussion about the possible creation of new provinces and administrative units, as well as the constitutional procedures that would be required to implement such changes.
The senior official said the government was currently focused on examining the broader question rather than committing itself to a specific proposal.
He reiterated that the key consideration would be whether any restructuring could improve governance and ensure that ordinary citizens receive better public services.
PML-N Position
When asked about the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government’s position on the issue, the official said the party would ultimately support whichever approach it considered to be in the national interest.
Asked about the possible positions of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif and Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, the official said the party would do what it believed was best for Pakistan.
However, he did not indicate whether the PML-N leadership had already reached a consensus on the creation of new provinces or administrative units.
The official also declined to speculate about President Asif Ali Zardari’s potential role in the debate, saying that the question should be directed to Zardari himself.
No Model Finalized
The government’s current position, according to the official, is that no specific administrative model has yet been approved.
The options under discussion range from creating additional provinces to establishing smaller administrative units or transferring greater authority to districts and local governments.
Each option carries different legal, constitutional, financial and administrative implications. Creating new provinces would require constitutional procedures, while administrative decentralization could potentially be pursued without altering provincial boundaries.
The government therefore appears to be keeping all options open while assessing which model could provide the greatest improvement in governance.
The official said the debate should not be interpreted as a decision to redraw Pakistan’s political map. Rather, it is an initial effort to examine whether the existing system can be made more effective and responsive.
For now, the government has not decided whether Pakistan will have new provinces, additional administrative units or stronger local governments. According to the senior official, the ultimate test for any proposal will be whether it improves governance and delivers measurable benefits to the people.
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