ISLAMABAD: In a moment of cross-party consensus, political leaders from across Pakistan’s divided spectrum have agreed that the country’s governance crisis cannot be solved by creating new provinces alone, and that strengthening local governments is an urgent and non-negotiable priority.
The high-level national debate, organised by the Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) in Islamabad, brought together senior representatives from PMLN, PPP, MQM, PTI, JI and JUIF, alongside federal ministers, technocrats and civil society representatives.
SDPI hosted a national debate on “Should Pakistan create more administrative units?” to discuss governance restructuring and local government reform in the country.
Led by Executive Director Dr. Abid Qaiyum Suleri, the debate brought together senior leadership from PML-N, PPP,… pic.twitter.com/fG4nVXYyU3
— SDPI (@SDPIPakistan) August 17, 2026
While participants held divergent views on the number and pace of new provinces, a remarkable consensus emerged that governance reform must encompass stronger local governments, fiscal devolution and institutional capacity building rather than being reduced to a single structural choice.
The debate, titled “Should Pakistan create more administrative units?”, examined multiple reform options, including the creation of new provinces and administrative units, stronger and more empowered local governments, fiscal devolution, institutional reform and better alignment of government structures with citizens’ needs.
Smaller provinces or stronger local bodies? Leaders weigh in
Syed Mustafa Kamal, Pakistan’s Federal Minister for National Health Services, set the tone by arguing that administrative restructuring should ultimately be judged by whether it reduces citizens’ sense of exclusion and improves service delivery.
He contended that smaller administrative units could bring government closer to citizens but stressed that local governments would remain essential regardless of the number of provinces.
Barrister Aqeel Malik, Minister of State for Law and Justice, highlighted a ground reality that resonated with many participants: citizens most frequently approach elected representatives over local service delivery issues such as roads and sewerage.
He proposed simultaneous national, provincial and local government elections with constitutional protection for local bodies against premature dissolution, a suggestion that drew widespread attention.
Barrister Danyal Chaudhry, Parliamentary Secretary for Information and Broadcasting, called for a constitutional and evidence-based approach, emphasising the need for detailed assessment of revenue base, expenditure requirements and long-term fiscal impact, including a decade-long view of financial sustainability.
Addressing the 3rd session of the SDPI Policy Workshop exploring whether Pakistan should create more administrative units, former Minister MOIB Fawad Chaudhry highlighted the complex interplay of identity and devolution, and the need for a workable governance model.… pic.twitter.com/qhAGsOdDyd
— Pakistan TV (@PakTVGlobal) August 17, 2026
18th Amendment’s promise remains unfulfilled, leaders lament
Qamar Zaman Kaira, PPP leader and former information minister, injected a note of caution, reminding participants that the debate over administrative restructuring is not new. He warned that any reform process must be managed carefully to avoid deepening inter-provincial sensitivities over resource distribution.
While acknowledging that the 18th Amendment increased the provincial share of the divisible pool from 46 to 57 percent, he lamented that much of that power and resources had not subsequently moved down to local governments.
Nadeem Afzal Chan, PPP leader, called for political and state stakeholders to develop a consensus-based reform agenda, identifying judicial and electoral reform, intra-party democracy and rule of law as related governance priorities.
Liaqat Baloch, Naib Amee of Jamaat-i-Islami, said the creation of new provinces and strengthening of local governments should be considered alongside broader fiscal and constitutional reforms. He called for more effective use of the Council of Common Interests to address disputes over resources and water.
Read Also: Pakistan Needs New Provinces and Major Governance Reforms, Says Interior Minister
Evidence, public demand and fiscal viability must guide decisions
Asad Umar, former federal minister, painted a sobering picture of declining public trust in state institutions and excessive centralisation as major governance challenges. He proposed a three-tier NFC arrangement for resource distribution and argued that new provinces should be considered only where there is strong public demand and evidence of economic viability.
Salman Akram Raja, PTI Secretary-General, offered a striking comparison: even splitting Punjab into three provinces would leave each unit larger in population than most European countries.
He argued that Pakistan already has divisions, districts and tehsils that require greater empowerment and called for clearly enumerated constitutional, administrative, political and financial powers for local governments.
Aasia Ishaque, MNA and MQMP leader, advocated smaller provinces for effective administration but strongly opposed dividing provinces on linguistic or ethnic lines, calling for a combination of smaller administrative units and a robust local government system.
Seraiki province demand and the call for national consensus
Zahoor Dhareeja, a prominent advocate of a separate Seraiki province, made an impassioned case that a new province was essential to address the region’s governance, representation, employment and identity-related challenges, providing greater opportunities through dedicated quotas and addressing the region’s longstanding development deficit.
Barrister Muhammad Ali Saif, former federal minister, countered that any move toward new provinces must be preceded by broad political consensus, without which their legitimacy would be undermined.
He proposed the formation of a national commission with parliamentary and political-party representation to deliberate the issue.
Institutional capacity and political culture: The missing pieces
Dr Farrukh Saleem, economist and political analyst, offered a contrarian view, opposing the creation of additional provinces without first addressing institutional weaknesses. He argued that Pakistan’s central problem was expenditure and governance rather than tax collection.
Muhammad Mallick, senior journalist, delivered a sobering assessment that structural changes would remain ineffective without changing institutional behaviour and political culture, identifying Pakistan’s major challenge as a crisis of institutional capacity.
Fawad Hussain Chaudhry, former federal minister, said any restructuring should proceed through political consensus and proposed that province names should be retained even if subdivided, to preserve identity while allowing administrative devolution.
Addressing the SDPI’s policy workshop, “Should Pakistan Create More Administrative Units?”, Executive Director of the Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) Abid Qaiyum Suleri raised key questions about new administrative units: How would new secretariats and provincial… pic.twitter.com/Y3pB2PkGdm
— Pakistan TV (@PakTVGlobal) August 16, 2026
SDPI chief outlines path forward
In his concluding remarks, Dr Abid Qaiyum Suleri, SDPI Executive Director, said the debate demonstrated the value of bringing different governance options into a common policy discussion.
He noted that while participants presented varied views, they also identified strong local governments, effective fiscal devolution and improved service delivery as essential elements of any future governance framework.
The debate, he said, had helped identify areas for further deliberation and evidence-based policy work, reinforcing that administrative restructuring in Pakistan must be pursued through political consensus, constitutional compliance and a clear focus on citizens’ welfare.
