Need for structural, systemic changes

The issue of creation of a South Punjab province is once again surfacing as the ruling PTI leadership is trying to demonstrate that formation of a new province comprising Seraiki-speaking areas of Punjab is quite difficult. The PTI during the electoral campaign for the 2018 general elections had promised to create a South Punjab province by dividing the existing Punjab province. Consequently, a large number of sitting members of parliament from the then ruling PML-N belonging to South Punjab had joined the PTI of which some are now ministers in the government. Recently, President Dr Arif Alvi said that while merging Fata with K-P was not that difficult, creation of South Punjab would not be that easy.

Thus it seems that creation of a South Punjab province may not happen at least in the immediate future. Whether the new province is created or not keeping in view the complex administrative issues and prevalent bad governance in the country, Pakistan needs to rationalise and overhaul its political and administrative structure. This restructuring has many facets of which arguably the most important is the determination of the most relevant and effective political system, which can overcome conflict and crisis prevalent and pervasive in society and the state at almost each level. The existing parliamentary system of the government has been quite defective and lacking in capacity to address the complex crisis and conflicts of Pakistani society. Perhaps some strong voices have also emerged in the country for resorting to the presidential system of governance a la United States.

Another important aspect of political and administrative restructuring is the creation of more viable and administratively functional units. In this regard formation of more provinces is extremely important for Pakistan. There were three provinces in the existing Pakistan at the time of its birth in 1947 while Balochistan was given the status of a full-fledged province in 1970. With the rapid and huge increase in population and its ever-increasing issues they could not be effectively addressed by just four provinces. Over the decades provinces have had failed to give viable, sustainable good governance structures and models due to lack of capacity in all respects of governance and policymaking. This has been transpiring vividly after the passage of the 18th Constitutional Amendment in April 2010 when the Concurrent List of the Constitution and the subjects mentioned in the said list were handed over to provinces. The establishing and strengthening of local government structures and systems is another vital aspect of political and administrative restructuring of the country.

LG structures have been there for quite some time in almost all provinces. However, most of these districts and lower tiers of municipal structures have generally failed to deliver to the people and address their key issues. The reason has been that the provinces have been hesitant to decentralise powers, legal and financial authority to the districts and tehsil level governments. Against this backdrop having more provinces has become more necessary. With more provinces or federal administrative units the issues of lack of capacity of the provinces to deal with so many departments could be meaningfully addressed. The LG structures could be made really functional to be of any value to the people.

But new provinces should not be carved out on linguistic and ethnic bases. Because having provinces on ethnic basis can never guarantee a functional federation and efficient administration. Political and administrative restructuring is the call of the day and it has also started with the merger of erstwhile Fata with K-P and efforts to create a South Punjab province and giving a definite status to the G-B region in the administrative structure of Pakistan. However, this restructuring could not be viable if transformation at the political systemic and structural level regarding the nature of the federation is not there.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 19^th, 2018.

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