Islamabad (Web Desk): Punjab Group Chairman Mian Amer Mahmood has called for a serious national discussion on establishing new administrative units in Pakistan, saying such a step could significantly improve governance, strengthen public services and make government more responsive to citizens’ needs.
Speaking at a national debate organised by the Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) on the possibility of creating new provinces or administrative units, Mahmood said his support for the proposal was not linked to any political interest.
He said Pakistan’s administrative system should be designed around the needs of its people, with every region given greater opportunities to pursue public welfare and development.
Mahmood noted that Punjab is the country’s largest province and receives a greater share under the National Finance Commission (NFC) Award because of its population and geographical size.
Despite receiving these resources, he said Punjab continues to face criticism over the manner in which resources are distributed.
He said elected politicians are more directly answerable to the public and can therefore be held accountable by citizens in a more effective manner than many institutions.
The Punjab Group chairman stressed the need for a broad-based national dialogue on Pakistan’s administrative framework, equitable resource allocation and the devolution of authority to local governments.
He said the purpose of creating additional administrative units should be to improve people’s lives and strengthen the state’s ability to serve citizens, rather than to create further divisions.
Mian Amer said that Balochistan could derive the greatest benefit from the creation of new administrative units, while Sindh could also gain considerably from such a restructuring.
Other participants in the debate agreed that meaningful empowerment of local governments, the transfer of decision-making powers to the grassroots and a fair mechanism for distributing resources should be prioritised before new provinces or administrative units are established.
The speakers maintained that Pakistan needs to seriously examine ways of strengthening local governance and, where necessary, creating new administrative structures so that government services can reach citizens more efficiently and effectively.