Summary Former finance minister Miftah Ismail urges empowered administrative units instead of new provinces, calling for stronger local governance and greater community control.
KARACHI (Dunya News) - Former finance minister Miftah Ismail has called for the creation of empowered administrative units instead of new provinces to improve governance across Pakistan.
Speaking at a national dialogue organized by the Graduate Forum Pakistan at a local hotel, Ismail discussed various options for restructuring the country’s administrative system.
He said the debate over new provinces was currently gaining momentum and outlined five possible options, with the first being to continue the existing system.
The second option, he said, was to introduce an empowered local government system. However, he argued that empowered local governments could not be established under the current political setup.
Ismail questioned why the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf had not implemented an empowered local government system in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa despite making strong claims about decentralization. He also criticized the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, saying that although it had passed a resolution, there was little action on the ground.
He said empowered local governments were a strong option but could not function effectively under the existing system.
Turning to the third option, Ismail advocated administrative units, explaining that the model would effectively transfer local governance responsibilities from provincial governments to administrative units.
He said provincial governments had failed to establish effective local government systems and that monopolies currently dominated governance, with only around 800 people effectively managing the affairs of the entire country.
Under the proposed model, he said, local people should manage their respective areas, with Karachi residents running Karachi, Larkana residents managing Larkana, and local representatives administering Lahore, Peshawar and Quetta.
Ismail alleged that the Pakistan Peoples Party was unwilling to give Karachi residents their due rights, saying the city was not receiving adequate water, employment opportunities or infrastructure.
He questioned the opposition to discussing new administrative units, saying there was no justification for preventing debate on a governance model aimed at giving local communities greater control over their affairs.
