In the current era, good governance is the most fundamental attribute for ascertaining the destiny of a state. Without good governance, as things stand, no country or nation can move ahead shoulder-to-shoulder with the most developed world. However, Pakistan looks to be an exception as whatever the form of governance the world’s fifth most populous country has experienced thus far, it has yet to be blessed even with the vestiges of good governance – the most essential requirement that can never be met without preliminary planning, forward-thinking, and some bold decision-making at the administrative level. In a similar vein, the need for more provinces in Pakistan has strongly been felt and proposed by many progressive souls in different periods, be it a civilian setup or military rule. However, no government could dare tread the path of carving out more provinces from the existing ones owing to inevitable repercussions and widespread hue and cry from different quarters of the state, together with the ensuing political coercion to the extent of blackmailing. As a consequence, the situation has gone from bad to worse, let alone good governance or sound administration. Yet again, some sane voices are emerging in favour of creating more provinces and administrative divisions to get the country out of the ongoing misgovernance and mismanagement mess.
The Philippines, with a population of 115 million, has 196 provinces. The total population of Vietnam is nearly 100 million, but the country is divided into 59 provinces. Turkey, a nation of about 86 million people, has 81 provinces. Thailand, a Southeast Asian country that ranks 20th globally in terms of population, is demarcated into 76 provinces. At the same time, Azerbaijan is divided into 71 provincial units despite the fact the country ranks 94 in terms of its population size. As things currently stand in Pakistan’s neighborhood, India consists of 8 union territories and 28 states, Bangladesh has a total of 8 administrative divisions, Nepal is divided into 7 provinces, Afghanistan into 34, and Sri Lanka into 9, while the Maldives and Bhutan are both divided into 20 administrative divisions. In marked contrast, Pakistan’s total population is now exceeding 250 million. Yet, the country has merely four provinces with no outright indication or telltale sign of dividing it into more provinces or administrative divisions to make it more governable and manageable.
Yes, many forces are opposing new provinces for political point-scoring. Be that as it may, considering both long- and short-term advantages, creating new provinces could ensure equal resource distribution, enhance local representation, and expedite the pace of the development cycle. In the given scenario, the pressing priority is to pave the way for good governance, a gargantuan task that looks beyond reach with the current state of affairs. Therefore, creating more provinces and equally divided administrative divisions or units above the ethnic lines is the need of the hour. However, the proposed way out cannot be enforced upon the key stakeholders without consensus, which cannot be achieved unless we are ready to get rid of a deeply entrenched tribal mindset and shed the baggage of our inflated egos for the greater benefit of the country. Is anybody listening?