Top govt functionary says new administrative units ‘under serious consideration’

A high-ranking government official has revealed that discussions are underway regarding the creation of new administrative units in Pakistan, which could potentially lead to the proposed 28th Constitutional Amendment. The government source, who is familiar with the developments, emphasized that the current debate is merely in its initial stages and does not have a definitive timeline for realization.

The main challenge, according to the source, lies in securing the consensus of major political parties, who are currently opposed to the idea. The functionary suggested that the discussion centers around whether new provinces should be established, how many would be sufficient, or if the existing local government system should be revived and empowered.

The top priority, according to the source, is to address the aftermath of the 18th Amendment by creating new provinces, which could help resolve many of the issues faced by the federal government since the devolution of powers to the provinces. Recently, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi called for all political parties to address key national issues, including the creation of new provinces, describing it as the only solution to improve the country's deteriorating condition.

The proposal received mixed reactions from government ministers, with the country's leading lawyers' bodies taking divergent positions. While the Supreme Court Bar Association supported the proposal, the Pakistan Bar Council stressed the importance of following the constitutional framework and achieving national consensus. The SCBA President, Haroonur Rashid, stated that the association believes that creating new provinces would promote better governance through devolution and equitable administration at the grassroots level, ensuring equal opportunities for balanced economic development and enhancing political stability.

If the decision is made to establish more provinces, the next issue would be determining the number of provinces to be created. One proposal being discussed includes making Karachi and Gwadar the administrative responsibility of the federal government, with the rest of Sindh remaining a single province. Balochistan could also be divided into two provinces, while Punjab could be divided into three units.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa presents a more complex situation due to the merging of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas and the incorporation of areas previously under Fata and Pata arrangements into the provincial constitutional, legal, and judicial framework. The source suggested that KP could be divided into Pakhtun and Hazara regions.

Alternatively, if the decision were made to strengthen the local government system, funds for local governments could be directly allocated by the federal government rather than through the provinces. The official noted that if the local government system established during President Pervez Musharraf's tenure had continued uninterrupted, a well-qualified and experienced team would already be in place to effectively address local issues, but it would now take considerable time to achieve that level of expertise.