“Whether you agree or not, the system we have been living under has collapsed.”

These were the extraordinary words of the Interior Minister of Pakistan, Syed Mohsin Naqvi, while addressing the Pakistan Economic Summit on 30th July 2026 in Islamabad. He further stated that there was “only one solution” to improving the country’s overall condition: “You will have to take administrative units, provinces or whatever you may call it, to the public.”

The above statements, coming from a man who has been in power since February 2023, first as Chief Minister of Punjab and then the Interior Minister, cannot be dismissed as another political statement. They deserve serious national debate.

What Holds Pakistani Students Back?
Pakistan is the 5th largest country and the only nuclear-armed Muslim country. It is situated in one of the most sensitive areas on the planet, bordered by China, Iran, Afghanistan and India. What happens inside Pakistan rarely remains confined within its borders.

Thus, its governance debate is not merely an internal debate. Political instability, economic challenges, terrorism, demographic pressures and institutional dysfunction can have consequences far beyond Pakistan.

Pakistan inherited the governance structures of the British Raj on 14th August 1947. East Pakistan was nearly 1,600 km away from Pakistan, with India in between. Unfortunately, instead of developing a governance model which would safeguard the interests of both parts and ensure close integration, the West Pakistan elite created the One Unit system, combining all the provinces of West Pakistan on 14th October 1955 to offset the demographic imbalance between the two wings.

Climate Warning
The Constitution of 1956 further compounded the problem by giving an equal number of seats to both wings, creating deep resentment in East Pakistan.

This continued till July 1, 1970, when President General Yahya Khan dissolved the One Unit and restored the original separate provinces of West Pakistan.

These four provinces have continued as basic pillars of governance, despite Pakistan changing beyond recognition since then.

This is where international experience becomes instructive.

Today, there are 11 countries having populations above 130 million, which is the approximate population of Punjab. Except for Pakistan, all of these countries have increased their number of provinces/states after they gained independence.

Political Optics
For example, in 1948, the Dominion of India comprised 9 major provinces. Today, it has 28. Similarly, in 1945, Indonesia had 8 provinces at independence. Today, it has 38.

And this has happened in all 11 countries.

More than two decades ago, another namesake of the Interior Minister, Lt Gen (R) Syed Tanwir Husain Naqvi, presented a paper to the Pakistan Institute of Development Economics in which, after highlighting “the persistent failure of the institutions of State”, he proposed “10-15 politically, administratively and financially autonomous provinces.”

The Sea Is on Fire
Thus, the need for having a new administrative structure has been felt for decades, for the simple reason that whereas the population has grown nearly 6 times since 1947, the governance structure has remained archaic and increasingly failed to deliver.

It is also interesting to note that the Punjab Assembly, on 9th May 2012, unanimously passed a resolution supporting the creation of a South Punjab province and restoration of Bahawalpur as a province. Similarly, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly, on 25th March 2014, passed a unanimous resolution demanding the creation of Hazara Province. It again reaffirmed this demand in 2022 and on 1st December 2025.

Past in Perspective
Thus, two provincial legislatures have already exercised their democratic will by passing the above resolutions, passing the baton to Parliament to complete the process through constitutional amendments.

However, the Sindh and Balochistan assemblies have not passed any resolutions for the creation of new provinces.

The explosion of population has made effective governance nearly impossible. For a citizen living hundreds of kilometres from the provincial capital, obtaining a government service means a huge financial burden, losing days of work and navigating multiple layers of bureaucracy. The government has become the biggest nuisance rather than a service.

Another major shortcoming is the failure of the provincial governments to set up a citizen-centric district governance system. The 18th Constitutional Amendment substantially devolved administrative and financial powers from the federation to the provinces. While Article 140-A of the Constitution requires each province to have a local government system, unfortunately, meaningful political, administrative and fiscal devolution from the provinces to the district governments has not taken place.

The major reason for this non-compliance with the Constitution is that the provincial governments do not want to loosen their powers. Moreover, the MNAs and MPAs also do not want to weaken their stranglehold on the police and local administration.

So, the ordinary Pakistani continues to suffer. With increasing erosion of trust in the State, not only is the burden of day-to-day life increasing, but poor governance is also contributing to the increasing security challenges being faced by the country. Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and other parts of Pakistan are facing the menace of terrorism and, besides other factors, internal and external, poor governance is playing a large part.

With the Chief Executive, the Chief Secretary and the Inspector General of Police sitting hundreds of miles away, it is impossible for them to closely monitor the on-ground situation.

I therefore propose that an inclusive National Commission comprising all relevant stakeholders, including the Opposition, be constituted immediately, with a two-point agenda: First: creation of new provinces and allied matters; and Two: constitutional amendment to ensure devolution of power to the district and below levels. The Commission be given a maximum six-month time limit.

As a start, it can consider the division of Punjab into three provinces and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh and Balochistan into two provinces each.

Pakistan does not need more provinces because it has too many identities; it needs them because it has too many people, too much geographical diversity and too little efficient and just government within the reach of its citizens.

As the Interior Minister has lamented that the system has collapsed, the 1970 administrative blueprint cannot be defended. The true test of patriotism is whether we have the courage, foresight, maturity and purpose to redesign our beloved country so that the government can once again serve its citizens.

Time is ticking. We need to make judicious decisions today. Tomorrow is already too late.

SOURCE:https://www.nation.com.pk/20-Aug-2026/four-provinces-250-million-people