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EVER since the interior minister called for smaller administrative units to improve governance, the question of new provinces has become the subject of much discussion. The proposal has revived a long-standing debate: does Pakistan need more provinces or greater devolution to the local level?
A recent discussion in Islamabad on the topic brought together politicians, policymakers, technocrats and civil society representatives. While some participants supported the creation of new provinces, the broader sentiment appeared to favour, and rightly so, the decentralisation of political, administrative and financial power through effective local governments.
The case for smaller provinces rests on the view that large administrative units have become unwieldy due to racing population numbers and the concentration of authority in a few urban centres. Proponents of this view argue that smaller provinces will bring governance closer to citizens and address the challenges. Yet even they recognise that any restructuring must reflect the will of the people and follow the constitutional process. This is vital to ensure that boundary changes do not become an exercise in political engineering, but emerge from genuine public demand.
