PAKISTAN is once again debating creation of more provinces. The demand is neither new nor entirely without merit. In a country of more than 259 million people, some regions are simply too large, too distant from provincial capitals and too poorly served to be governed effectively from the existing centres of power. Yet before Pakistan redraws its map, it must confront a more fundamental question: are our problems really the result of having too few provinces, or are they consequence of having too little good governance? The answer is difficult to escape.

Pakistan’s principal crisis is not the number of provinces. It is the quality of governance. We already have a federal government, four provincial governments, district administrations, municipal institutions and a vast bureaucratic apparatus. Still, citizens struggle with poor education and healthcare, weak policing, delayed justice, inadequate municipal services, corruption, red tape and administrative inefficiency. If these institutions cannot consistently deliver basic services, why should we assume that creating more provinces will produce better results? The danger is that we may simply multiply governments without multiplying governance.

For most citizens, particularly those living in rural areas, the provincial capital is too distant to have much relevance to their everyday problems. A farmer needs irrigation, agricultural extension services, roads, markets and access to finance. A small entrepreneur needs electricity, municipal facilities, credit and a business-friendly administration. A rural woman needs security, healthcare, education, safe transport and an opportunity to earn. These are essentially local concerns. Yet........

© Pakistan Observer