LAHORE\/KARACHI(National Times)- Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Saturday renewed his call for a \u201creset\u201d of Pakistan\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNew administrative units will eventually have to be created as Pakistan\u2019s growing population and changing needs can no longer be effectively managed through the existing administrative structure,\u201d said the minister, who is considered close to the powers that be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Addressing a National Policy Dialogue on \u2018Devolution of Powers and Good Governance in Pakistan\u2019 at the University of Management and Technology, Mr Naqvi said the proposed \u201creset\u201d 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
His earlier remarks about \u201cresetting the system\u201d 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNew 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,\u201d 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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. \u201cSimilarly, as the population grows and its needs increase, the administrative system and structure must also change,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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. \u201cPowers can be transferred to the lower levels within the framework of the Constitution. No illegal or unconstitutional measures will be permitted,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Provincial status for Islamabad<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIf new provinces are to be created, Islamabad should also be given the status of a province,\u201d he said and urged political and public support for the proposal. \u201cThe opinion of the people is more important than that of politicians on the issue of new administrative units,\u201d he said, adding that no such units should be created without public approval.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Khawaja Asif slams \u2018double standards\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has said that the devolution of power is \u201cinevitable\u201d, while also accusing the PPP of having a contradictory stance on the issue of new provinces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhen 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 \u2018Sindhudesh\u2019 begins,\u201d he said in a post on the social media platform X late Friday night. Mr Asif said that he saw \u201csomething else\u201d behind this \u201cdual policy\u201d by the PPP, adding that he would delve into this deeper \u201cwhen the time comes\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe 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,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He said that concentration of power had made the current system obsolete, which needed to be \u201ccorrected\u201d. \u201cProvinces 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,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
PPP opposes Sindh\u2019s division<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Meanwhile, the PPP stepped up its opposition to the federal government\u2019s 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\u2019s autonomy or territorial integrity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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 \u201cconspiracy against Sindh\u2019s unity, provincial autonomy and the 18th Amendment\u201d. The PPP Sindh meeting also decided to hold divisional-level \u2018Sindh Unity\u2019 seminars and rallies at tehsil headquarters on September 12 under the slogan \u2018Sindh is the motherland\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Separately, Sindh Local Government Minister Nasir Hussain Shah and former Senate chairman Raza Rabbani warned against any move that could affect the province\u2019s unity, autonomy or constitutional status.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Responding to Mr Naqvi\u2019s 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 \u201centirely different matters\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe 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,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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. \u201cIt seems they are being more loyal than the King,\u201d 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
PTI questions PM\u2019s silence<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In a separate statement, the PTI questioned Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif\u2019s 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\u2019s position on the issue for the past few months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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\u2019s stance and said it was reassuring that political leaders at the national level were adopting a positive approach towards the creation of new provinces.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
LAHORE\/KARACHI(National Times)- Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Saturday renewed his call for a \u201creset\u201d of Pakistan\u2019s 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. \u201cNew administrative units will eventually have […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":132604,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-132603","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-latest_news","entry"],"yoast_head":"\n