About 16 years ago, writing in another newspaper, I proposed the idea of 20 geographic provinces for Pakistan. I have since reconsidered my position and it has to do with having read the Lahore Resolution in its true spirit as a foundational constitutional document for Pakistan. What the Lahore Resolution does is to establish the blue print for a federation in which provinces are autonomous and sovereign, meaning that they are more than mere provinces but countries akin to Great Britain’s four constituent countries, England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Just as England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland cannot be carved up into smaller provinces, so can’t Sindh, Balochistan, Punjab and KPK without renouncing the Lahore Resolution and doing that I strongly caution against.

To put it simply Sindh, Balochistan, West Punjab, KPK (then NWFP) along with East Bengal created the Pakistani federation in 1947 and not the other way around. The very acronym Pakistan is ultimately derived from and a recognition of this basic reality. Secondly suppose Punjab divides itself, which it will, and smaller provinces don’t, that would mean that erstwhile Punjab’s representation in the Senate would go up thus further entrenching the Punjabi majority in the country. So there is no scenario where smaller provinces win short of smaller provinces insisting on dividing themselves and resisting Punjab’s division, which is fait accompli at this point. So this is an explosive idea and the Indian example is not an adequate example, because unlike India, residuary powers vest in provinces in Pakistan. 

 That said there is actual need for administrative units beyond mere Divisions/Districts/Tehsils etc and we have to some how find a solution that creates new administrative units while retaining the constituent units of the Federation. Fortunately the history of the........

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