Islamabad: Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has said the creation of new provinces or administrative units is a national issue that should not face opposition, arguing that such a move could strengthen both the federation and the provinces.
Speaking at Parliament House, Asif said he currently had no information regarding any specific plan for the creation of administrative units.
Commenting on Islamabad’s proposed new administrative structure, the defence minister said establishing an autonomous institution in the federal capital would be a positive step. He said it could be called an assembly, a provincial-style government or a capital government, noting that similar arrangements exist in many capitals around the world.
Asif said he was unaware of any discussion on the issue at the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz level and also had no knowledge of any meeting convened by the prime minister on the matter.
He said that if such a system was being introduced in the federal capital, there should be no hesitation in considering similar arrangements for the provinces.
Citing Afghanistan as an example, Asif said the country once had only a few provinces but later expanded the number to around 34 or 35. He said former Afghan president Ashraf Ghani had told him during a meeting that the move had improved the delivery of public services.
The defence minister described the issue as a national matter that should not face opposition, saying such reforms could strengthen both the federation and the provinces.
Asked about the Pakistan Peoples Party’s position, Asif said he could not speculate. He added that the term “province” might confuse people and suggested that “administrative unit” would be a better term.
Asif said the Sindh government had taken a position on the matter and had the right to do so, but stressed that the objective should not be to protect the political interests of any party.
He said Pakistan needed a public service delivery system capable of providing essential services to citizens at the lowest level of government.
