National Debate Needed on New Provinces and Empowered Local Govts in Pakistan

Federal Ministers Ahsan Iqbal and Syed Mustafa Kamal have said that Pakistan needs to transfer powers and resources to the local level, strengthen local government and reform its administrative system.

They said that government decisions and resources often fail to reach areas far from provincial capitals effectively. They stressed that the formation of new administrative units and the reorganisation of provinces should be discussed through national consensus.

Speaking at a discussion titled “Pakistan’s Administrative Reorganisation: National Debate on the Creation of New Provinces,” Ahsan Iqbal said Pakistan needs to reduce the centralisation of administrative, political and financial powers.

He said the country had made little progress in administrative reforms since 1970 and was still operating under a system of four provinces.

Iqbal said sustainable development requires improvements not only in economic indicators but also in education, healthcare and other social sectors.

He noted that Pakistan’s literacy rate is around 63 per cent, while 25 million children are out of school. He added that the country’s high population growth rate is also a major challenge.