ISLAMABAD: Federal Parliamentary Secretary for Information and Broadcasting Barrister Danyal Chaudhry has said administrative reforms are essential before considering the creation of new provinces, stressing that governance reforms should aim to provide better, faster and more accessible services to citizens at their doorstep.
He was speaking at a policy workshop organised by the Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) in Islamabad. The workshop was attended by Member National Assembly Noor Alam Khan, Asiya Ishaq Siddiqui, Zahoor Dhareeja, senior journalist Muhammad Malik and former mayor of Lahore Mian Aamer Mahmood.
Barrister Danyal said population growth and urban expansion required more effective governance, but the creation of new provinces alone was not a solution to administrative problems.
He said the focus should be on making government institutions more responsive, transparent and efficient in delivering essential services, including education, healthcare, policing, land records and municipal facilities.
Referring to Article 140A of the Constitution, he said many governance challenges could be addressed by strengthening and empowering local governments, provided they were given adequate financial resources, administrative authority and clear functional responsibilities.
The parliamentary secretary said any proposal for creating new provinces must be supported by a thorough financial impact assessment, as new provinces would require additional administrative structures and increase public expenditure.
He called for a comprehensive five-to-10-year financial review before any decision was taken in this regard.
Barrister Danyal said changing provincial boundaries was a serious constitutional matter that required adherence to constitutional procedures as well as broad political consensus.
He said all aspects, including public representation, resource distribution, water availability, natural resources and government assets, should be carefully examined before moving forward.
Outlining a three-pronged approach to administrative reforms, he said local governments should first be strengthened with resources and authority. Secondly, regional administrations within large provinces should be empowered with clear performance targets. Thirdly, new provinces should be considered only through proper constitutional channels and where evidence supported better governance outcomes.
He said Pakistan’s real need was stronger institutions, improved governance and better service delivery, rather than merely redrawing maps without meaningful reform.
