Bugti Calls Balochistan Division Imperative, Backs New Provinces Debate
ISLAMABAD: Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti has called for a review of the country’s administrative structure, saying the province’s vast geographical expanse and governance challenges make new administrative units a necessity.
He said additional administrative units, stronger local governments and a revised resource-sharing framework were needed to improve public service delivery in the province.
The chief minister was speaking at a national dialogue on administrative reorganisation and the creation of new provinces. He said governing a vast province like Balochistan solely from Quetta posed significant administrative challenges.
Taking the debate to parliament
Bugti called for a review of the country’s administrative structure, governance models and the question of establishing new provinces. He welcomed the ongoing national debate on governance reforms, describing it as a positive development.
But he said discussions on such important issues should not remain confined to seminars and hotels. They should be taken to parliament, where broader political consensus could be developed.
The chief minister said it was necessary to assess whether the Westminster-style democratic system was delivering the desired results to citizens, and whether existing administrative and territorial arrangements were creating obstacles to efficient governance and service delivery. He noted that some of the challenges blamed on governance systems may actually stem from the current administrative divisions.
Emphasising political unity, he said meaningful administrative reforms could only be implemented through broad-based consensus among political stakeholders. Seminars and public discussions had their role in generating awareness, he said, but practical solutions would emerge only when political parties engaged in serious deliberations within parliament.
Balochistan division: the distance problem
Bugti illustrated his case with the province’s sheer scale. A journey across Punjab from the Wagah border to the southern district of Rajanpur takes six to seven hours, he said. By contrast, travelling from one point to another within a single district of Balochistan can take up to ten hours.
He recalled an incident from his tenure as interior minister to drive the point home. After a suicide attack near a shrine in the remote Sarona area of Khuzdar district claimed multiple lives, criticism followed over the deputy commissioner’s delayed arrival at the site. The official, Bugti said, had needed nearly nine hours to travel from the district headquarters to the scene.
The incident, he argued, showed how vast distances and the existing administrative framework hamper even the most basic functions of the state.
The chief minister also called for a broader approach to resource allocation under the National Finance Commission (NFC) Award, linking the administrative question to the money question: who gets what, and whether the current formula serves far-flung districts.
Why this debate matters now
Bugti’s intervention adds a heavyweight voice to a debate that has been building for weeks. The question of new provinces in Pakistan, whether they would ease governance or simply multiply its costs, has divided analysts and politicians alike.
As chief minister of the country’s largest but least populated province, Bugti speaks from the sharp end of the problem. His government has been pressing for a fairer deal for Balochistan on resources and representation. For readers trying to follow the argument, the basic facts help: Pakistan currently has four provinces and a set number of divisions administering dozens of districts, and any new province would need a constitutional amendment with two-thirds support in parliament.
That is why Bugti kept returning to parliament. Without consensus there, he argued, the debate stays in seminar halls.
Frequently asked questions
What did Sarfraz Bugti say about new provinces?
The Balochistan chief minister called for a review of Pakistan’s administrative structure, saying new administrative units, stronger local governments and a revised NFC resource-sharing framework are needed, especially for a vast province like Balochistan.
Why does Bugti say Balochistan needs division?
He argues the province’s size makes governance from Quetta alone unworkable, noting that travel within a single Balochistan district can take up to ten hours, longer than crossing all of Punjab.
Where does Bugti want the debate to happen?
In parliament, where he says broad political consensus can be built, rather than only in seminars and hotels.
What is the NFC Award?
The National Finance Commission Award is the constitutional mechanism that divides federal tax revenue between the federation and the provinces. Bugti wants a broader approach to how resources are allocated under it.
