New Provinces Pakistan Needs, Says Mustafa Kamal
Federal Health Minister Mustafa Kamal has said the new provinces Pakistan needs are not anyone’s wish but “Pakistan’s need”, adding that they have “become indispensable to save and run the state”.
Kamal spoke on Saturday at the inauguration of a regional office of the Allied Health Professionals Council in Karachi, a day after Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Tariq Fazal Chaudhry said Parliament and the provincial assemblies could not be bypassed on new provinces.
“When a family grows, a new room has to be built; that does not break up the home,” Kamal said.
New provinces Pakistan debate: money that never reaches villages
Kamal argued that the size of the provinces was itself the problem. Punjab was bigger than 180 countries, he said, Sindh bigger than 175, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa bigger than 162 and Balochistan bigger than 185.
“In a divisible pool, 57.5% of the money gets parked with the provinces,” the minister added. He said Rs8.84 trillion had gone to the four provinces this year, “but the money is not reaching down to the village level”.
The biggest problem, Kamal said, was that the provinces had not devolved power downwards, so money and authority stayed at the capitals instead of reaching villages.
He further argued that the International Monetary Fund “cannot pull Pakistan out of this economic quagmire, Karachi can”, saying the city was “Pakistan’s revenue engine” with not even 10% of its potential tapped.
Kamal has made the same case before. Earlier this month he said Pakistan could not be governed under the existing administrative model, and he made the same case in August.
“I honestly believe the existing government system cannot work. The longer we delay the creation of new administrative units, the greater the damage will be,” he said.
How the debate reached this point
The current debate began on July 30, when Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi called for additional administrative units to improve governance, deliver justice and create opportunities for young people.
The proposal quickly became politically sensitive in Sindh, where the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) opposed any move to divide the province. Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah rejected Naqvi’s assessment and warned that no bloodshed would be allowed over new provinces.
In August, Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) backed new provinces and called for a national dialogue, arguing that population growth, poor governance and concentrated power made devolution necessary. The move put the party, part of the federal coalition but in opposition in Sindh, at odds with the PPP.
On September 3, the Sindh Assembly unanimously passed a resolution rejecting any proposal to divide Sindh, declaring that “Sindh is one and shall remain one”. Naqvi showed no sign of backing away, and on September 5 he said he would continue to support new provinces.
The constitutional question at the centre
That position raised the question of how public opinion could be formally established, and whether a referendum could gauge support for new provinces.
Article 48(6) allows a matter of national importance to go to a referendum after approval by a joint sitting of Parliament. But a referendum itself would not create a new province. Changing provincial boundaries still needs a two-thirds majority in the relevant provincial assembly under Article 239(4).
Ministers have already argued that Parliament and the assemblies cannot be bypassed, and the Punjab Assembly Speaker has endorsed a referendum on the question. The debate over a 12-province plan and a referendum has run for weeks, while the Presidency has denied that new units were discussed when Naqvi met President Asif Ali Zardari.
Kamal’s remarks add a fresh voice and new numbers to that debate. Whether it moves from speeches to a formal proposal remains to be seen.
Frequently asked questions
What did Mustafa Kamal say about new provinces?
Kamal said creating new, smaller provinces was “Pakistan’s need”, not anyone’s wish, and had “become indispensable to save and run the state”.
Why does Kamal say new provinces are needed?
He argued the provinces are too large to govern, Rs8.84 trillion does not reach villages, and provinces have failed to devolve power downwards.
How big are Pakistan’s provinces, according to Kamal?
Kamal said Punjab is bigger than 180 countries, Sindh bigger than 175, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa bigger than 162 and Balochistan bigger than 185.
Can a referendum create a new province?
No. A referendum needs approval by a joint sitting of Parliament, but changing provincial boundaries still needs a two-thirds majority in the relevant provincial assembly under Article 239(4).
What is the PPP’s position on new provinces?
The PPP opposes dividing Sindh. The Sindh Assembly unanimously passed a resolution on September 3 rejecting any proposal to divide the province or alter its territorial limits.
