Administrative and financial governance: A case for smaller provinces

Good governance is the bedrock for prosperity and stability in any society. It ensures an equal flow of resources across all regions of the country, providing economic opportunities for all communities. In Pakistan, which is a country of diverse communities, good governance is the cornerstone of a thriving society.

Pakistan’s current administrative structure is unable to deliver good governance. Pakistan’s current provincial structure is dominated by large provinces like Punjab, which comprise 56% of the country’s population. Due to the large population, they consume a large chunk of national resources, leading to dissatisfaction among other provinces.

The unequal resources have also increased the chasm between the capitals and the fringes. This has also sowed the seed of the inter-provincial discord where Punjab is usually accused of consuming a hefty portion of national resources at the expense of other provinces.

Pakistan must reconsider its administrative foundation and create new provinces to address these challenges. It will help Pakistan to improve its administrative and financial competence, leading to more inclusive governance in the country.

Despite many administrative challenges, the provincial boundaries have remained unchanged. Any attempt to carve out new provinces has become futile like the creation of the Saraiki province, as it requires the approval of the National Assembly and the respective provincial assembly according to Article 239 of the Constitution. However, after the 18th Amendment, the demand for new provinces rose.

People from the South Punjab region have been demanding Saraiki province, comprising the Bahawalpur, Multan, and Dera Ghazi Khan Divisions. The Hazarwal also demands a separate province carved out from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa with the districts of Abbottabad, Mansehra, Haripur, Batgram, Upper Kohistan, Lower Kohistan, Kolai Pass, Torgar, etc.

Power is usually centralised in the capitals, often neglecting peripheral regions of the province. This centralisation has led to unequal development in the province. For example, Lahore is far more developed than the remote districts of South Punjab. It has the highest Human Development Index (HDI) compared to the other 36 districts.

On the other hand, the districts of Southern Punjab, including Rajanpur, Dera Ghazi Khan, Muzaffargarh, and Rahim Yar Khan have the lowest HDI in the province. This shows the development disparity between Lahore, its capital, and other remote districts.

To solve these administrative problems, Pakistan must consider creating new provinces. Creating new provinces can help Pakistan handle its administrative problems and increase the efficiency of the administration. Small administration also helps the bureaucracy to work efficiently by helping them to respond to problems quickly.

It will also increase the Public Service Delivery system due to the proximity of officials with the common people. Furthermore, it will also decrease the bureaucratic red tape by reducing the bureaucratic hurdles. Also, it will increase the representation of marginalised communities both in the National and Provincial assemblies.

Moreover, when the provincial assemblies have their budget, they have the authority to allocate resources to the underdeveloped region. Creating new provinces can also help to improve financial governance in Pakistan.

Decisions are taken in provincial capitals under the current administrative framework, frequently ignoring the needs of far-flung areas. This has led to regional disparity as some regions are far more developed than others. For instance, the central Punjab region is more developed than South Punjab due to the disparity in resource allocations and development priorities.

The creation of new provinces will help to tailor the resources according to the needs of specific regions. When the provinces can collect their revenue, it also helps to mitigate the concerns of marginalized regions like Balochistan, and Gilgit Baltistan, consequently reducing the influence of the anti-state forces.

Pakistan can follow the model of Papua New Guinea in the formation of new provinces, also known as the Four-tier process model. This process involves four steps to create new provinces, which Papua New Guinea applied from 2009 to 2012 to create new provinces. The first step of this tier is to provide proposals, either from a legislative body or any other body. The initiator can be National Assembly or Provincial Assemblies in Pakistan.

The second step of this process involves the formation of an independent commission to access the proposals of the initiator. After evaluating the proposals, the commission will submit its findings and recommendations to the legislative body.

In the third process, a parliamentary committee involving members of the Assembly and other ministries i.e. the Ministry of Inter-provincial Coordination, Finance Ministry, and the Establishment Division, will look into the feasibility and practicality of these proposals.

This committee will vet the proposals from all perspectives and decide the final fate of the proposal. If everything works out, this committee will draft a bill outlining the boundaries of the new province.

In the last process, the Parliament will debate this draft and vote in favor or against it. If it is approved by a large majority, then it becomes law.  Nevertheless, the federal government should take all the provinces, especially the province from which the new province is carved out, should be taken on board during all these steps.

Creating new provinces will not only help in improving governance but also empower disadvantaged communities. Political leaders, Policy makers, and civil society should collaborate and build consensus in creating new provinces, which can help the country solve administrative and financial problems.

The writer is an analyst from Gilgit-Baltistan.