ISLAMABAD: Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has voiced support for creating additional provinces in Pakistan, saying the country could have as many as 12 administrative units to improve governance and ensure effective delivery of public services.
Speaking in an interview with Geo News in Sialkot on Sunday, Asif said the proposal to establish new provinces had been under discussion for the past two months, with opinions emerging from different parts of the country.
“If there is a proposal for 12 provinces, then make it 12, but they should not be created on the basis of language, ethnicity or political interests,” he said.
The defence minister argued that Pakistan’s growing population required smaller administrative units, adding that excessive powers remained concentrated in provincial capitals, including Lahore, Karachi, Quetta and Peshawar.
He stressed that administrative authority and financial resources should be transferred to smaller units and local governments to ensure better public service delivery.
Asif also criticised the existing financial arrangements, saying funds allocated by the federal government often remained under the control of provincial administrations instead of reaching local government institutions.
Referring to Pakistan’s administrative history, he recalled the One Unit system and cited Afghanistan’s expansion of provincial administrative units as an example of restructuring.
His remarks come amid renewed debate over a reported proposal to reorganise Pakistan into 12 provinces through a possible 28th Constitutional Amendment. However, no final decision has been announced regarding provincial boundaries or the constitutional process.
The proposal has also sparked debate among political parties, particularly over the future administrative structure of Sindh and other existing provinces.
The defence minister maintained that the primary objective of any restructuring should be better governance, decentralisation of power and improved delivery of resources to the people.
