LAHORE/KARACHI(National Times)- Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Saturday renewed his call for a “reset” of Pakistan’s governance system, insisting that the country needed to restructure its administrative framework to address decades-old failures in public service delivery and declared that new administrative units had to be made at any cost.
“New administrative units will eventually have to be created as Pakistan’s growing population and changing needs can no longer be effectively managed through the existing administrative structure,” said the minister, who is considered close to the powers that be.
Addressing a National Policy Dialogue on ‘Devolution of Powers and Good Governance in Pakistan’ at the University of Management and Technology, Mr Naqvi said the proposed “reset” did not mean a change of government or political party but a comprehensive review and restructuring of the administrative system to make it responsive to the needs of citizens.
His earlier remarks about “resetting the system” had been widely interpreted as a reference to the incumbent government. He clarified that his call was not aimed at replacing any particular government or political party.
Mr Naqvi said Pakistan, after nearly eight decades, was still struggling to provide basic services to its citizens, including education, healthcare, clean drinking water and sanitation. He said Pakistan would eventually have to restructure its administrative boundaries.
“New administrative units will have to be created. No one can stop it. However, such a major decision cannot be imposed by an individual or a single political party and should instead be made in accordance with the wishes of the people. If the people want new administrative units, they should be created,” he said. He stressed any restructuring of the state and the creation of new administrative units must take place strictly within the constitutional and legal framework and through political consensus.
Drawing an analogy with the growth of a family, the interior minister said that while a single house may once have accommodated an entire family, expanding families eventually required additional homes. “Similarly, as the population grows and its needs increase, the administrative system and structure must also change,” he said.
Referring to some political parties, Mr Naqvi said there appeared to be anxiety among certain quarters over devolving powers to the grassroots level, but maintained that such concerns could be addressed through constitutional means. “Powers can be transferred to the lower levels within the framework of the Constitution. No illegal or unconstitutional measures will be permitted,” he said.
Provincial status for Islamabad
He also called for a debate on granting provincial status to Islamabad, saying residents of the federal capital did not receive a share under the National Finance Commission (NFC) Award.
“If new provinces are to be created, Islamabad should also be given the status of a province,” he said and urged political and public support for the proposal. “The opinion of the people is more important than that of politicians on the issue of new administrative units,” he said, adding that no such units should be created without public approval.
Khawaja Asif slams ‘double standards’
Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has said that the devolution of power is “inevitable”, while also accusing the PPP of having a contradictory stance on the issue of new provinces.
“When there is talk of a Saraiki province in Punjab, the PPP supports it or shows a soft corner on this issue. And when there is talk of multiple provinces or administrative units instead of four, talk of ‘Sindhudesh’ begins,” he said in a post on the social media platform X late Friday night. Mr Asif said that he saw “something else” behind this “dual policy” by the PPP, adding that he would delve into this deeper “when the time comes”.
“We are first and foremost Pakistanis. Devolution was decided as a constitutional principle through the 18th Amendment, which was not respected. Time and circumstance demand that it be implemented with integrity,” he said.
He said that concentration of power had made the current system obsolete, which needed to be “corrected”. “Provinces or administrative units, whatever label you want to apply. You have 36 divisions, use them, or devise some other administrative-geographical scheme. The devolution of power is inevitable,” he said.
PPP opposes Sindh’s division
Meanwhile, the PPP stepped up its opposition to the federal government’s statements on new provinces and administrative units. The PPP Sindh leadership, at a meeting chaired by provincial president Nisar Ahmed Khuhro, accused the federal ministers of interfering in the constitutional affairs of the province and warned the federal government against any attempt to undermine Sindh’s autonomy or territorial integrity.
The meeting called on Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to restrain his ministers from making statements on new provinces and warned that continued remarks could lead the PPP to conclude that the federal government was behind a “conspiracy against Sindh’s unity, provincial autonomy and the 18th Amendment”. The PPP Sindh meeting also decided to hold divisional-level ‘Sindh Unity’ seminars and rallies at tehsil headquarters on September 12 under the slogan ‘Sindh is the motherland’.
Separately, Sindh Local Government Minister Nasir Hussain Shah and former Senate chairman Raza Rabbani warned against any move that could affect the province’s unity, autonomy or constitutional status.
Responding to Mr Naqvi’s remarks, Mr Shah said he agreed with the need for better governance, an effective administrative system and reforms aimed at facilitating the people, but stressed that administrative reforms and the reorganisation of provinces were “entirely different matters”.
“The question of dividing Sindh is not merely an administrative proposal; it is linked with the sentiments, history and collective will of the people of Sindh,” he said.
Former Senate chairman Mian Raza Rabbani also criticised statements by federal ministers regarding new provinces and administrative units, saying such remarks without a cabinet or party decision were condemnable. “It seems they are being more loyal than the King,” he said. Senator Rabbani said the question of creating more provinces was not a federal matter but one that had to be decided by the people of the provinces in accordance with the Constitution.
PTI questions PM’s silence
In a separate statement, the PTI questioned Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s silence on such an important issue, which carried far-reaching constitutional and political consequences. The spokesperson asked why the PM had remained largely absent from a debate concerning the future administrative and political structure of the federation, while the interior minister had been dictating the federal government’s position on the issue for the past few months.
Meanwhile, the Istehkam-i-Pakistan Party, led by Aleem Khan, welcomed a statement by PML-N planning minister Ahsan Iqbal about creating new provinces. In a message posted on X, Abdul Aleem Khan appreciated Ahsan Iqbal’s stance and said it was reassuring that political leaders at the national level were adopting a positive approach towards the creation of new provinces.
