ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – Mian Amer Mahmood, Chairman of Dunya Media Group, once again called for a sweeping restructuring of Pakistan’s administrative setup as he addressed more than 150 vice chancellors, academics and students at the 6th Rectors’ Conference organised by the Association of Private Sector Universities of Pakistan at Serena Hotel in Islamabad today.
The conference focused on governance, leadership and reforms, with Mahmood using the platform to outline the case for expanding Pakistan’s four existing provinces into 33, arguing that governance must move closer to the people for effective accountability. He said that Pakistan’s current indicators in literacy, health and international development indices rank the country in the bottom ten percent globally, which he linked to structural weaknesses in the governance system.
GOVERNANCE GAPS
Mian Amer Mahmood said Pakistan’s administrative model has failed to deliver equitable development, noting that major cities remain overburdened while large parts of provinces resemble under-serviced settlements. He cited World Bank’s 2019 policy note Pakistan at 100 which identified regional inequalities as the biggest obstacle to development.
According to him, Pakistan has developed only five major cities in 80 years, resulting in heavy migration pressures. Lahore alone sees the continual expansion of informal settlements as residents from other regions move to access employment, healthcare and education.
He added that institutions remain weak because individuals become too powerful, and that the lack of functional local government has further limited accountability. He said every elected provincial government has historically dissolved local bodies soon after taking office.
PROVINCES PROPOSAL
Mian Amer Mahmood proposed turning every administrative division into a province, arguing this model would bring government closer to citizens, ensure more balanced development and produce leadership from Pakistan’s educated middle class. He said Punjab’s ten divisions, Sindh’s seven, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s seven and Balochistan’s six could each function as provinces.
He added that concerns over increased administrative expenditure are misplaced, stating that smaller administrative units reduce per capita costs because institutions scale proportionally to population and size. He said only 16 core departments are required to operate a province, compared with more than forty currently found in some provincial governments.
POPULATION AND SCALE
Mian Amer Mahmood referenced census data to show the magnitude of provincial growth. In 1951, Punjab had a population of 20 million while Sindh had six million, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 5.8 million and Balochistan 1.1 million. Today, Pakistan’s population has reached nearly 250 million. Punjab alone has grown to about 130 million, Sindh to 55.69 million, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to 40.85 million and Balochistan to 14.8 million.
He said Punjab is now larger in population than all but twelve countries, Sindh is bigger than all but thirty-one, and only forty-one countries are larger than Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He added that 172 countries are smaller in population than Balochistan’s current landmass.
He said the immense size of provinces makes governance difficult, drawing comparisons with global examples. China has 31 provinces, India has expanded from nine to 39 states, the United States has fifty, Indonesia has 34 and Nigeria 27. Russia, with a population similar to Pakistan’s, maintains forty-six provinces, twenty-two republics and nine territories.
Mian Amer Mahmood said Pakistan’s administrative challenges stem from attempting to govern a rapidly expanding population with a provincial structure designed for the 1950s, and that creating new provinces would address long-standing grievances related to resources, representation and regional justice. He urged universities to form forums on governance and involve students in debates on leadership and reform.