**Pakistan Urged to Decentralize Governance Amid Population Emergency**
Pakistan’s Federal Minister for Planning, Development & Special Initiatives, Prof. Ahsan Iqbal Chaudhary, has called for greater unity and decentralization to ensure the country’s sustainable economic growth. Addressing a meeting of the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Planning, the Minister identified over-centralization and unchecked population growth as urgent challenges requiring immediate national attention.
Prof. Iqbal stressed that, despite the constitutional mandate for devolution under the 18th Amendment, an excessive concentration of power at the provincial level continues to hinder effective governance. He advocated for a fully empowered local government system and suggested that Pakistan consider initiating a comprehensive national dialogue on the creation of new administrative units to better serve its citizens.
Highlighting demographic pressures, the Minister declared Pakistan’s rapidly increasing population a national emergency. He emphasized the critical need to align population growth with the country’s available resources in order to achieve developmental objectives.
To address these intertwined issues, Prof. Iqbal announced the establishment of a high-level National Task Force. This body will include religious leaders, civil society representatives, and subject matter experts, and will be tasked with developing a coordinated national response to population growth and decentralization challenges.
During the briefing, the Minister also presented an overview of the Ministry’s strategic vision and policy milestones achieved under the “Uraan Pakistan – Five Es Framework.” This framework is designed to transform Pakistan into a $1 trillion economy by 2035. Key areas of focus include sustainable growth, effective governance, and the mobilization of collective national will, beyond political divides, to secure the country’s long-term prosperity.
