From Our Correspondent
QUETTA: Federal Minister for Commerce Jam Kamal Khan has backed the idea of creating smaller provinces and new administrative units, saying Pakistan needs a governance structure that is closer to the people and better suited to the country’s geographical and administrative realities.
Jam Kamal Khan said the debate over new provinces and administrative units should not be reduced to politics. The real purpose, he said, should be to make government more accessible, improve public services and ensure that development resources reach people fairly.
He argued that smaller administrative units could make it easier for governments to understand local problems and respond to them more quickly.
Devolution Should Reach the District Level
Discussing the 18th Constitutional Amendment, Jam Kamal Khan said the amendment transferred substantial powers from the federal government to the provinces. However, he pointed out that this devolution did not continue at the same pace from provincial governments down to districts.
The spirit of the 18th Amendment, he said, was to take decision-making and resources closer to ordinary citizens.
Jam Kamal Khan also called for a transparent and fair system for distributing resources among districts. He suggested that a mechanism similar to the National Finance Commission (NFC) Award could be considered for allocating resources within provinces.
He said the difference in funding between districts can directly affect their development.
“If one district receives Rs2 billion while another receives Rs20 billion, the difference in development is bound to become visible,” he said.
According to the minister, unequal distribution of resources can leave people feeling ignored and create frustration and distrust in the system.
He also stressed that development funds should not depend on political affiliations. People in a district, he said, should not lose out simply because their elected representative is not part of the ruling government.
Balochistan’s Size Makes the Issue More Important
The issue becomes even more important in Balochistan, Jam Kamal Khan said, because of the province’s enormous size and difficult terrain.
Balochistan covers around 44 percent of Pakistan’s total land area, and people living in some remote districts have to travel hundreds of kilometres to reach the provincial capital for government services.
Jam Kamal Khan questioned why citizens should have to travel 600, 700 or even 1,000 kilometres simply to access basic government facilities.
For him, smaller administrative units could help change this situation by bringing government offices and essential services closer to communities.
He said an administrative structure covering a smaller number of districts would allow authorities to focus more closely on local priorities, whether related to health, education, infrastructure or public administration.
Better Services and Healthier Competition
Jam Kamal Khan believes smaller administrative units could also create a healthier form of competition between regions.
When governments are closer to the people, he said, their performance becomes easier to observe and compare. This can encourage administrations to improve public services and development outcomes.
He pointed to the experience of district government systems, saying that healthy competition at the local level had produced positive results in the past.
Smaller administrative units could also make monitoring, accountability and checks and balances more effective, he added.
Giving Young People a Greater Voice
The minister also highlighted the concerns of Balochistan’s youth.
He said many young people feel that their voices are not given enough importance in decision-making.
Smaller administrative units, he argued, could create more opportunities for young people and local communities to participate in governance and feel that their concerns matter.
With decision-making brought closer to communities, political parties and governments would also face greater pressure to listen to local representatives and respond to local issues.
Local Governments Need Real Powers
Jam Kamal Khan said strengthening the Local Government System should be one of the most important parts of any administrative reform.
He described councillors as some of the elected representatives closest to ordinary citizens and said local governments must have the resources and authority needed to actually deliver services.
He also stressed that districts cannot be expected to perform equally when some have vehicles, staff and equipment while others lack even basic administrative resources.
“If a district does not have the manpower, vehicles or necessary equipment, how can the same level of performance be expected from it?” he questioned.
Call for a Serious National Debate
Jam Kamal Khan called for a broad and serious discussion on the future of Pakistan’s administrative structure.
He said Parliament, the Senate, political parties, media and the public should all have an opportunity to debate the creation of new provinces and administrative units.
For him, the question is ultimately about how government can work better for ordinary people.
The minister emphasized that administrative restructuring should not be driven by political interests. Its central purpose should be to improve governance, public service delivery, decentralization and fair distribution of resources.
He said Pakistan now needs to look at its governance system through the realities faced by its people and consider reforms that can bring the state closer to citizens.
