PESHAWAR (Dunya News) – Dunya Media Group Chairman Mian Amer Mahmood has said that creating smaller provinces in Pakistan will reduce administrative costs rather than increase them, as smaller regions mean lower protocol and governance expenses.
Speaking at an awareness session titled “Pakistan 2030: Challenges, Opportunities, and New Pathways” organized by APPSUP at Rehman Medical Institute, Peshawar on Wednesday, Mian Amer Mahmood said that the governance model of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) is never taught in schools.
“In that model, one representative was responsible for every ten households, and another for every hundred,” he explained.
He lamented that even after 80 years of independence, Pakistan still struggles with development and welfare. Citing a World Bank study, Mian Amer Mahmood said Pakistan has developed only five major cities in nearly eight decades.
“Outside Karachi, Sindh lacks development; in Punjab, resources distribution needs to be equitable,” he added.
Mian Amer further said that Quetta is the only developed city in Balochistan, while in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, facilities are mostly limited to Peshawar. He criticised weak institutions, saying they empower the powerful while depriving ordinary citizens of justice.
He emphasised the need to transfer powers to the grassroots level. “Local governments are meant for public service, but they rarely function effectively in Pakistan,” he said.
Highlighting the imbalance in Pakistan’s administrative structure, Mian Amer noted that Punjab alone makes up 52% of the country’s population, while the other three provinces combined are still smaller. He pointed out that Balochistan’s vast area makes it nearly impossible to deliver basic facilities across the province.
Comparing Pakistan with other countries, Mian Amer said China has 31 provinces, India — which gained independence alongside Pakistan — has 39 states today, the United States has 50, Indonesia 34, Nigeria 27, and Brazil 36.
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“Pakistan, the world’s fifth most populous country, still has only four provinces,” he remarked.
Tracing population growth, he said Pakistan’s population has risen from 33 million in 1951 to 250 million today, yet it continues to rely on the same outdated four-province governance model. “Punjab has grown from 20 million to 130 million, Sindh from 6 million to 55 million, KP from 5.8 million to 41 million, and Balochistan from just over a million to 15 million,” he detailed.
Mian Amer added that Punjab alone would rank as the world’s 12th largest country by population. “There are only 31 countries larger than Sindh, and 41 larger than KP. In fact, 172 countries are smaller in area than Balochistan,” he said.
He proposed that each division in Pakistan should be made a separate province, arguing that smaller provinces would improve governance and reduce protocol expenses.
Earlier, Chairman APPSUP Chaudhry Abdul Rehman praised Mahmood’s contributions to Pakistan’s education sector, highlighting that he has established over 400 colleges and three top-tier universities.
Rehman said, “Today marks an important day in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s history. We must reflect on our direction. PAMI produces 11,000 medical graduates every year, offers treatment through 10,000 private hospital beds, and provides affordable healthcare through 40,000 teaching hospital beds.”
He emphasised that Pakistan’s private sector has played a crucial role in sustaining the country. “Without the private sector, there would have been chaos. It is time to reform our governance model,” he added.
Rehman concluded by expressing gratitude to APPSUP and said Rehman Medical Institute will be remembered in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s history much like Aligarh University is remembered in India.