August 22, 2026
By Hashir Ahsan
ISLAMABAD
Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi has once again sparked a fresh political and constitutional debate in Pakistan by declaring the country’s existing administrative and governance structure “inadequate.” Speaking at the Pakistan Economic Summit, Naqvi stated that the current four-province administrative setup and governance system has become paralyzed and incapable of addressing contemporary challenges.
Despite ongoing debates regarding the creation of new provinces or administrative units, no concrete plan or practical progress has emerged so far.
Although proposals and reports circulating at the federal level suggest creating anywhere from 12 to 20 or even 32 to 33 smaller administrative units, Adviser to the Prime Minister Rana Sanaullah clarified that no formal discussions have taken place within the establishment or the federal cabinet. He urged ministers proposing these changes to present a written, actionable formula rather than relying on verbal statements or podcast discussions.
MQM remains the only political party actively supporting the idea. Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) leaders Farooq Sattar and Khawaja Izhar-ul-Hassan stated that their party has long demanded new provinces, arguing that smaller units would help resolve corruption and administrative inefficiencies.
Conversely, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leaders Senator Saleem Mandviwalla and Shagufta Jumani emphasized that any decision regarding new provinces must be made by the public. Mandviwalla noted that the people of Sindh oppose the division of their province and called for structured discussions to explain how new units would actually solve existing problems, while Jumani remarked that MQM’s desire to divide Sindh is impractical.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI), Senator Azam Swati shared that Imran Khan holds a clear stance on new provinces, noting that Swati previously led a committee that presented a movement for a Hazara province across party lines. However, PTI leader Dr. Humayun Mohmand stressed that strengthening local government systems could solve these issues, warning that corruption in smaller provinces would only exacerbate problems. Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman stated that while his party supports new provinces in principle, there is currently no consensus, political environment, or practical progress, making the debate a distraction from core issues. Pashtunkhwa National Awami Party chief Khushal Kakar added that creating new provinces would not solve problems but rather divide the public. PML-N Sindh leader Kheel Das Kohistani reiterated that decisions belong to the residents and assemblies of the respective provinces, asserting that the people of Karachi do not desire a separate province.
Constitutional experts point out that creating new provinces requires more than public statements; it necessitates amending five separate articles of the Constitution of Pakistan. This process demands a two-thirds majority in both the National Assembly and the Senate, alongside a two-thirds majority approval from the concerned provincial assembly. Past resolutions passed by the Punjab Assembly or other bodies hold no legal weight without the introduction and passage of a new constitutional bill. Ultimately, political stakeholders agree that simply increasing the number of provinces will not yield results unless accompanied by financial autonomy and empowered local governments.
The debate over new administrative units in Pakistan is rooted in linguistic identity, administrative necessity, and resource inequality.
Past Decades: The movement for new provinces
Historically, movement for new provinces began with the Bahawalpur state movement in the 1950s following its integration into Punjab, which gained political momentum through the 1970s. The 1955 implementation of the “One Unit” scheme merged West Pakistan’s provinces, triggering regional dissatisfaction until General Yahya Khan abolished it in 1970, restoring the four historical provinces and rekindling demands for Bahawalpur and Saraiki provinces. The 1970s saw the formal launch of the Saraikistan movement around Multan and Bahawalpur, while MQM’s formation in the 1980s introduced narratives around administrative autonomy for urban Sindh.
Following the renaming of NWFP to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in 2010, protests in the Hazara division sparked the Hazara Province Movement. In 2012, the Punjab Assembly passed a resolution supporting new provinces in South Punjab and Bahawalpur, leading to a constitutional amendment bill passing the Senate in 2013 under the PPP government, though it failed in the National Assembly. Later, the PTI government established separate secretariats in Multan and Bahawalpur as a practical step toward an eventual South Punjab province.