THE disconnect between the government and public concerns could not be starker. While people worry about their economic situation the government is focused on altering the country’s provincial structure. According to the latest Ipsos poll, three in four people believe the country is headed in the wrong direction. The economy and especially inflation are their top concerns. A majority of respondents also said they do not view the economy as strong.
It is this low public confidence and pessimism about the future that should concern the government rather than seeking to redraw the provincial map for ill-defined objectives. So far it hasn’t offered any coherent rationale for carving out more provinces. It has also not conducted any study on an issue of such consequence.
Although speculation had long been rife about the hybrid government’s intentions it was Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi who made a public pitch for new provinces in July. Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal went further, calling for 15 additional provinces. Each province, he said, should be subdivided into three. As an alternative, he proposed 160 district governments. He argued that establishing more administrative units would deliver effective governance and better social outcomes.
The proposal provoked a furious response from the ruling party’s ally, PPP, which opposed any plan to divide Sindh. The party got the Sindh Assembly to adopt a resolution rejecting the division of the province or creation of new administrative units. The MQM, which has long wanted Karachi as a separate province, boycotted the session. It said its proposals were not incorporated in the resolution, including establishing new administrative units. The resolution declared “Sindh is one and shall remain one” and “unequivocally rejected any proposal, plan, scheme or constitutional arrangement … which sought to divide Sindh … or create any new province out of its territory”.
Technical fixes are no panacea that will miraculously solve the country’s problems.
The government’s attempt to start a debate seemed to flounder and spin out of control after its key coalition partner came out in strong opposition. A senior PPP leader questioned Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s silence and asked him to state his position publicly. Another PPP leader accused federal ministers pushing for new provinces of having a “fake mandate”. Meanwhile, PML-N ministers themselves issued contradictory statements. Rather than clarifying matters, this compounded the confusion and exposed divisions within the party. Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz is also said to be opposed to any division of her province.
The joint parliamentary opposition comprising PTI, JUI-F and other smaller parties rejected any plan to divide provinces at its inaugural meeting in late August. Earlier, JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rahman argued this was not the time to divide provinces given the country’s troubled economic and security situation. PTI is now planning a multiparty conference of the opposition on the issue. The party itself has yet to enunciate a clear public position. In the past, it advocated creating a new province in south Punjab. Some PTI leaders say the party opposes changes under “an illegitimate and fraudulent set-up”. The party chairman, however, has urged consultations and said any hasty decision would “harm the federation”. Meanwhile, the leader of the National Party in Balochistan has said creating new provinces would only exacerbate present tensions.
None of this has deterred federal ministers from continuing to insist on administrative restructuring. Mohsin Naqvi declared this was essential and no one can stop it. But he added it will only happen with the “will of the people”. He wasn’t walking back from his proposal. His statement implied a referendum might be held to ascertain the ‘will of the people’. Such a move would be deeply controversial and divisive. It would also lack credibility given the history of dubious referendums conducted by past military governments. Questions have also been raised about whether a referendum can constitutionally be used to create new provinces.
Proponents of ‘reform’ in the hybrid government ignore the fact that their proposal has already divided the country. It is clear that there is no political consensus on the issue. Consensus cannot be manufactured or coerced. While the government has rammed controversial constitutional amendments and other laws through parliament, using the same method to reorder the provincial structure carries much greater risks. Given the far-reaching consequences of the change and the opposition it faces across the country, the implications would be serious. If pursued, it would further undermine national cohesion and deepen polarisation.
There is a clear constitutional procedure to change provincial boundaries. A referendum cannot override that. Any change requires two steps. First a resolution passed by a two-thirds majority in the relevant provincial assembly. Second a constitutional amendment adopted by a two-thirds majority in both the National Assembly and Senate. This effectively gives affected provinces a veto over any change. This requirement cannot be bypassed. Any political manoeuvre to circumvent this will be a disaster.
There is no doubt that the governance system needs to be improved. Government should be brought closer to the people to ensure their voices are heard and for better service delivery. But this goal can be realised by empowering local government. It is the third tier of government that needs to be strengthened through functional local bodies as mandated by the Constitution.
Improving governance requires more than a technical fix. Above all, it demands an environment grounded in the rule of law. It needs accountability of both leaders and institutions. Administrative changes cannot substitute for competent leadership — with a clear vision and sense of purpose — who are legitimately elected. Good governance also requires prudent policies and much-needed economic reforms shaped and overseen by capable professionals.
This is not an argument against administrative change. It is an effort to emphasise three points. First, drawing new provincial lines is not a panacea that will miraculously solve the country’s problems. As noted above, other aspects of governance matter far more. Map-drawing and not fixing fundamentals is meaningless. Second, such changes do not figure among the public’s governance concerns, which are very different. Ignoring those priorities and focusing just on technical fixes will only show how out of touch the government is with people. Third, without broad national consensus, imposing administrative changes will make a mockery of democracy and serve to divide the country.
The writer is a former ambassador to the US, UK and UN.
Published in Dawn, September 14th, 2026
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