ISLAMABAD: Federal Parliamentary Secretary for Information and Broadcasting Barrister Danyal Chaudhry has said that administrative reforms should come before any move to create new provinces, arguing that the primary objective of governance reforms must be to provide better, quicker and more accessible services to citizens at their doorstep.
He expressed these views while addressing a policy workshop organised by the Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) in Islamabad. The event was attended by Member National Assembly Noor Alam Khan, Asiya Ishaq Siddiqui, Zahoor Dhareeja, senior journalist Muhammad Malik and former Lahore mayor Mian Aamer Mahmood.
Barrister Danyal said population increase and urban expansion had made effective governance more important, but added that merely carving out new provinces would not resolve administrative issues. He said the emphasis should be on making public institutions more responsive, transparent and efficient, particularly in the delivery of education, healthcare, policing, land records and municipal services.
Referring to Article 140A of the Constitution, he said many governance problems could be addressed by strengthening and empowering local governments. He stressed that local bodies must be provided adequate financial resources, administrative authority and clearly defined responsibilities to perform their functions effectively.
The parliamentary secretary said any proposal for new provinces must be preceded by a detailed financial impact assessment, as the creation of additional provinces would require new administrative structures and lead to higher public expenditure. He called for a comprehensive financial review covering five to ten years before any decision is taken.
He said altering provincial boundaries was a serious constitutional matter that required compliance with constitutional procedures as well as broad political consensus. He added that issues such as public representation, distribution of resources, water availability, natural resources and government assets must be carefully examined before moving ahead.
Barrister Danyal proposed a three-part approach to administrative reforms. He said local governments should first be strengthened with resources and authority; regional administrations within large provinces should then be empowered with clear performance targets; and new provinces should be considered only through the proper constitutional process and where evidence shows they would improve governance.
He concluded that Pakistan needed stronger institutions, improved governance and better service delivery, rather than simply redrawing maps without meaningful reform.
