Clearly, for administrative and other reasons, new provinces are needed in Pakistan.
LAHORE: Article 239 of the Constitution of Pakistan allows the creation of a new province through an amendment which is passed by a two-thirds majority in both houses of parliament. This vote is undertaken after a provincial assembly decides that it needs new provinces for better administration on linguistic, cultural or historical grounds.
India had 14 provinces in 1947 and now it has double that number. In the case of India, the creation of a new province would require only a simple majority in parliament on a reference made by the president after ascertaining the views of the concerned provincial assembly.
As for Pakistan, let’s take the case of Punjab, where the Sharifs have ruled the province for several years. Rightly or wrongly, residents of the southern part of the province have felt that over the years much of the development and expenditure has taken place in central and northern parts of the province and that it has come at their expense.
No wonder then that those living in the Seraiki-speaking belt of the province are now demanding a new province for themselves. At the very least, we must learn some of the good things that our neighbours do and, in this respect, we can learn much from India by examining — and emulating — how it went about creating new provinces, as demanded from time to time by its citizens.
Clearly, for administrative and other reasons, new provinces are needed in Pakistan. Perhaps the most straightforward and transparent way would be to hold a referendum in the provinces where residents are demanding a new province.
ST Hussain
Published in The Express Tribune, August 11th, 2011.
