Islamabad, 09 November (H.S.): Amid an ongoing debate over the creation of new administrative units in Pakistan, another federal minister on Sunday expressed support for the proposal, while cautioning that the new units should not be established on linguistic, ethnic or political grounds.

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, who has previously endorsed the proposal, said the idea of creating additional provinces had been put forward by his Cabinet colleague Mohsin Naqvi. Naqvi had argued that excessive powers were concentrated in provincial capitals, preventing government services and resources from reaching people at the grassroots level.

According to a report in the Dawn newspaper, Asif, while speaking to Geo News, said the proposal to establish new provinces had been under discussion for the past two months. He maintained that Pakistan could have as many as 12 provinces if the restructuring was undertaken on administrative grounds rather than linguistic, ethnic or political considerations.

Arguing in favour of smaller administrative units, Asif said Pakistan's growing population necessitated a governance structure capable of delivering public services more efficiently. He stressed that decision-making powers should not remain confined to provincial capitals such as Lahore, Karachi, Quetta and Peshawar.

Emphasising the need to bring administrative authority closer to the people, the defence minister also questioned the existing mechanism for the distribution of financial resources. He said funds transferred by the federal government largely remained under the control of provincial administrations instead of reaching local government institutions.

According to Asif, local bodies, which were supposed to benefit from these resources, continued to depend on provincial governments for both funding and administrative authority.

The minister urged political leaders to reconsider their approach towards the exercise of power, observing that politicians often tended to retain all authority within their own hands. He said elected representatives must remember that the people had entrusted them with that authority.

Referring to Pakistan's past administrative arrangements, Asif recalled the One Unit scheme, under which the provinces of West Pakistan were merged into a single administrative unit, a system that was subsequently abolished. He also cited Afghanistan as an example, noting that the number of its provinces had increased from around eight or 10 to more than 30.

Asif's remarks come amid reports of a proposal to reorganise Pakistan into 12 provinces through a possible 28th Constitutional Amendment. A nationwide referendum is also reportedly being considered in connection with the proposed restructuring.

According to media reports, the plan could involve dividing Punjab into four provinces, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Balochistan into three provinces each, and Sindh into two provinces.

**MQM-P Reiterates Demand for New Administrative Units in Sindh**

Meanwhile, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) on Sunday resolved to mobilise its entire organisational network and parliamentary leadership to secure a historic victory in the upcoming local government elections. The party also reiterated its demand for the creation of new administrative units in Sindh to ensure the devolution of powers and resources to the grassroots level.

The resolution was adopted at a high-level meeting of the party's political and administrative leadership, chaired by MQM-P Convener and Federal Minister Dr. Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui at its headquarters in Bahadurabad.

According to an MQM-P press release, the meeting discussed strategies to address the longstanding grievances of urban Sindh, accelerate Karachi's development and strengthen the party's preparations for upcoming political and local government elections.

The party leadership emphasised that the creation of new administrative units was essential to empowering people at the grassroots level and ensuring the equitable delivery of basic municipal services.

The party maintained that transferring powers and resources to lower levels of government was necessary to address the administrative and civic challenges confronting urban centres.

Dr. Siddiqui directed party lawmakers and organisational wings to intensify their activities at the neighbourhood level and mobilise party workers and residents across the city ahead of the forthcoming local government elections.

He said addressing the neglect of urban Sindh, establishing new administrative units and winning the local government elections were among the party's foremost priorities.

In a statement issued after the meeting, Siddiqui was quoted as saying that the reconstruction and development of Karachi and other major urban centres of Sindh, transparent utilisation of public funds and protection of citizens' fundamental rights remained central to the party's political agenda.

He further asserted that no political or administrative obstacle would be allowed to stand in the way of public welfare and development.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar