Former Lahore mayor calls for new provinces

Former Lahore mayor and educationist Mian Amer Mahmood has said Pakistan's governance system cannot function effectively without the creation of new provinces, arguing that the current structure with large provinces has become unworkable.

Speaking at an awareness seminar at a private university in Islamabad, Mahmood warned that the country's education crisis is deepening, with 25 million children out of school - one of the largest out-of-school populations in the world. "These children will become an obstacle to the country's progress," he said, citing a survey that found 70 per cent of seventh graders unable to read a second-grade textbook.

He noted that only one per cent of the population makes it to university, while 44 per cent of children suffer from malnutrition, raising fears that future generations may not even be capable of working productively. "We have strengthened our defence, but we have failed in public welfare," he added, stressing that government must prioritise social, economic, and political welfare.

Mahmood criticized successive governments over the past 80 years for failing to bring meaningful change, pointing out that countries which gained independence around the same time have outpaced Pakistan in development.

He said the Punjab government was spending Rs4,400 per child per month - less than the fee of a decent private school - yet government schools continue to underperform despite having facilities.

Turning to broader governance issues, the former governor lamented that murder trials take 16 to 18 years to conclude, devastating both victims' and perpetrators' families.