Is Pakistan Heading Toward Administrative Reforms?
News Desk
Islamabad: A high-level meeting between Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and PML-N President Nawaz Sharif in Raiwind has attracted unusual political attention, not because of any official announcement, but because it took place amid an intensifying national debate over governance, administrative reforms and the creation of new provinces.
Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz and Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar also attended the consultation, where participants reviewed the country’s overall political situation, government affairs and other important issues.
However, no official statement was issued, leaving political observers to speculate whether the ongoing governance debate also featured in the discussions.
The meeting comes just days after Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi triggered widespread political debate by declaring that Pakistan’s existing governance model had exhausted its ability to solve the country’s problems.
Speaking at the Economic Summit in Islamabad, Naqvi argued that the current administrative structure was no longer capable of meeting the demands of a rapidly growing population.
He described an “administrative reset” as unavoidable and called for the creation of new administrative units and provinces to improve governance.
His remarks immediately sparked reactions across the political spectrum, with supporters describing the proposal as a practical response to Pakistan’s governance challenges, while critics questioned both its timing and constitutional feasibility.
During a media briefing on Friday, DG ISPR Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif clarified that Mohsin Naqvi’s remarks represented his personal opinion and did not reflect an institutional position.
While refraining from commenting directly on the proposal for new provinces, the military spokesperson stressed that effective governance was essential for addressing Pakistan’s security, political and economic challenges.
He said Pakistan’s population had expanded from around 70–80 million in the early 1970s to nearly 250 million today, while the country’s administrative structure had largely remained unchanged.
According to the DG ISPR, better governance, institutional reforms and greater use of technology are necessary to improve public service delivery. He also emphasized that every issue cannot be resolved through the army or police, arguing that political and administrative institutions must strengthen their own capacity to solve national problems.
The governance debate continued to deepen on Saturday as Pakistan Peoples Party Sindh President Nisar Khuhro strongly opposed Mohsin Naqvi’s proposal.
Khuhro argued that the Interior Minister was criticizing a system of which he himself was a part, describing it as contradictory. He also rejected suggestions of creating multiple new provinces, warning that any such move would face constitutional hurdles, including the requirement of a two-thirds majority in the relevant provincial assembly.
He further questioned Naqvi’s appointment as Interior Minister, saying that as a senator he should not hold the portfolio.
On the other hand, MQM-Pakistan leader and Federal Health Minister Mustafa Kamal openly endorsed the proposal, describing new provinces as an administrative necessity rather than a political slogan.
According to Kamal, Pakistan’s population has multiplied over the decades, yet the country continues to operate with the same four provinces. He argued that administrative decentralization is essential to improve governance, ensure equitable distribution of resources and bring decision-making closer to citizens.
With political parties taking sharply different positions and governance reforms emerging as a major topic of national discussion, the Raiwind meeting has assumed greater political significance despite the absence of any official readout.
Whether the leadership merely reviewed routine political matters or also deliberated on the growing calls for administrative restructuring remains unclear.
However, the timing of the consultation has reinforced the perception that governance reform and the future administrative structure of Pakistan are likely to remain central issues in the country’s political discourse in the coming months.
