Pakistan Rethinking Governance in Pakistan

[Fatman17]

Rethinking governance in Pakistan

Have power, resources and decision-making been devolved enough to serve citizens effectively?

www.dawn.com

EVERY few years, Pakistan revisits the debate on creating new provinces. The interior minister’s recent proposal to establish smaller administrative units has again raised an important question. Yet the real issue is not how many provinces Pakistan should have. It is whether government is close enough to serve its citizens effectively. Administrative boundaries matter only because they influence how quickly people receive education, healthcare, justice, infrastructure and disaster relief. If governance remains distant and unresponsive, merely redrawing maps won’t improve lives.

 

[Saithan]

I would say that thanks to AI we could have a really good governor support function. The AI's primary function should be to audit and report. The challenge is of course how it gathers information. It would be necessary to have a R2D2 type that has a masterbrain and physical body to move around. A pilot project could be started in schools and the AI could follow kids growth and development in school, at the same time audit teachers, deans and such.

 

[Fatman17]

I would say that thanks to AI we could have a really good governor support function. The AI's primary function should be to audit and report. The challenge is of course how it gathers information. It would be necessary to have a R2D2 type that has a masterbrain and physical body to move around. A pilot project could be started in schools and the AI could follow kids growth and development in school, at the same time audit teachers, deans and such.

What you are suggesting is at micro level. The article is about creating more provinces than the four currently in place. Pakistan’s population is 250m people and therefore providing the basics to the public under the constitution is non existent because the people in power don't care .

We can have a 100 provinces but if there is no governance at the grass roots level it wouldn't matter.
The other issue is that the political parties will lose their "control " over the people who are coerced to vote for them in elections.

 

[Fatman17]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/2084584866298171861

Another example of failed governance

 

[Fatman17]

Governance failures

There is a spurious connection between the provincial configuration and the governance crisis.

share.google

AN effort is underway to spark a debate on creating new administrative units in the country ostensibly on the grounds that the present system is not delivering. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, whose proximity to the establishment is well known, tried to make the case. Claiming the present governance system has “collapsed”, he called for more provinces and administrative units. He offered no explanation of what “collapse” meant and how new units would magically fix Pakistan’s problems. His proposal found backing from the military spokesman. He echoed the call, urged a system “reset” and endorsed the creation of new administrative units.

 

[Fatman17]

Governance failures

There is a spurious connection between the provincial configuration and the governance crisis.

share.google

AN effort is underway to spark a debate on creating new administrative units in the country ostensibly on the grounds that the present system is not delivering. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, whose proximity to the establishment is well known, tried to make the case. Claiming the present governance system has “collapsed”, he called for more provinces and administrative units. He offered no explanation of what “collapse” meant and how new units would magically fix Pakistan’s problems. His proposal found backing from the military spokesman. He echoed the call, urged a system “reset” and endorsed the creation of new administrative units.

"Government: An effective administration capable of enforcing laws, collecting taxes, and providing public services."

Here lies the problem. It's not about how many administrative units are needed, it's about doing the needful aforementioned.

 

[Fatman17]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/2087767018317791295

 

[Fatman17]

Fair taxation alone can bring stability

THIS is with reference to the editorial ‘Unfair tax system’ (July 31), which rightly discussed the bleeding ...

share.google

THIS is with reference to the editorial ‘Unfair tax system’ (July 31), which rightly discussed the bleeding wound of Pakistan’s economy — a predatory tax architecture that ruthlessly squeezes the vulnerable while shielding the privileged. The weight of our fiscal policy is carried almost entirely by indirect taxation, turning basic survival into a taxable offence.

The unfair burden manifests in everyday life through deeply unjust mechanisms. Consumers face a labyrinth of arbitrary levies, ranging from fixed charges, uniform quarterly adjustments, fuel cost adjustment (FCA) and additional surcharges to electricity duty and general sales tax (GST), constituting roughly 16.3 per cent of an average bill with zero rational justification.

 

[Fatman17]

Fair taxation alone can bring stability

THIS is with reference to the editorial ‘Unfair tax system’ (July 31), which rightly discussed the bleeding ...

share.google

THIS is with reference to the editorial ‘Unfair tax system’ (July 31), which rightly discussed the bleeding wound of Pakistan’s economy — a predatory tax architecture that ruthlessly squeezes the vulnerable while shielding the privileged. The weight of our fiscal policy is carried almost entirely by indirect taxation, turning basic survival into a taxable offence.

The unfair burden manifests in everyday life through deeply unjust mechanisms. Consumers face a labyrinth of arbitrary levies, ranging from fixed charges, uniform quarterly adjustments, fuel cost adjustment (FCA) and additional surcharges to electricity duty and general sales tax (GST), constituting roughly 16.3 per cent of an average bill with zero rational justification.

Salaried Class Tax Burden Grows Despite Govt's Relief Claims

The salaried class contributed an additional Rs. 2 billion in revenue during the first month of the new fiscal year 2026-27, with tax collection from

share.google

 

[Fatman17]

Devolution, not division | The Express Tribune

A new map does not automatically produce a more competent state

share.google

Every few years, when governance in Pakistan looks particularly strained, the conversation drifts toward the same proposal: carve out new provinces. The logic sounds intuitive. Smaller units, closer to the people, easier to administer. But this argument, however emotionally satisfying, tends to skip over a more basic question. Why a system Pakistan already has on paper, a genuine three-tier structure with elected local government at its base, has never actually been allowed to work?

The Constitution is not silent on this. Article 140-A of the Constitution of Pakistan 1973 obliges every province to establish local governments and to hand over political, administrative and financial authority to elected representatives at that level.

 

[Fatman17]

Unlearnt lessons of history

Pakistan’s troubled history offers a cautionary lesson against altering the provincial structure.

www.dawn.com

TODAY, the country’s hybrid government is fixated on altering Pakistan’s constitutionally mandated provincial structure and multiplying administrative units. To sell the idea, establishment apologists have rolled out some disingenuous arguments. They claim this will improve governance and miraculously solve the country’s problems overnight.

A debate has been generated in the media about the pros and cons of administrative changes and breaking provinces into more units. Parliament has yet to discuss this. That is unsurprising. Deliberation is not this legislature’s strong suit. It has rushed through constitutional amendments in record time, once in the dead of night and without meaningful debate. Meanwhile, speculation is mounting that another constitutional amendment is being prepared to push through ‘administrative changes’.

 

[Fatman17]

The Republic Policy has attempted to answer the following questions in its book *Beyond Four Provinces*.

1. What is meant by a federal unit? What is the fundamental constitutional and political difference between a federal unit and merely an administrative division or district in Pakistan?

2. Do the boundaries of states and federal units always remain permanent? What lessons do we learn from the continuous changes in borders and political units in the history of the subcontinent?

3. What is the relationship between a province, cultural identity, and political representation? Does a region's linguistic, cultural, or historical identity provide a sufficient basis for it to become a separate federal unit?

4. What could be the possible new federal units in Pakistan? In your proposed model, how can Pakistan be divided into potential federal units beyond the current four provinces, and what would be the basis for this?

5. What impact will the creation of new federal units have on Pakistan's political system? Can this improve political representation, parliamentary power, federal balance, and democratic accountability?

6. How will new federal units change the current system of bureaucracy? Can new federal units establish true administrative federalism by dismantling Pakistan's current centrally oriented bureaucratic model?

7. What will be the financial model for new federal units? Under what principles will the distribution of resources, tax collection, NFC, natural resources, and federal transfers be organized in this new system?

8. How will the police and law and order system be formed in the new federal units? Can smaller and more accountable federal units make the police more effective and accountable to local government and the public?

9. Will new federal units be financially sustainable? How will it be determined that a new federal unit has the capacity to generate the required financial resources for its administrative expenses, developmental needs, and public services?

10. How can Pakistan be transitioned from four provinces to a new federal system? What is your practical roadmap for constitutional amendments, political consensus, administrative transition, financial arrangements, and the establishment of new federal units?
www.x.com