Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi has declared Pakistan’s administrative system “rotten” and “obsolete,” suggesting that creating more provinces is the remedy. The statement may sound attractive, but it fails to address the real issue. Pakistan is not suffering because it has too few provinces; it is suffering because those entrusted with power have failed to govern effectively.
If more provinces were the key to prosperity, Pakistan would have achieved good governance long ago by simply redrawing its map. The truth is that governance is measured by performance, accountability, transparency, and the rule of law—not by the number of chief ministers or provincial assemblies.
The first and most obvious consequence of creating new provinces is an enormous financial burden. Every new province means another governor, another chief minister, another provincial cabinet, another assembly, more ministers, more advisers, more bureaucrats, more official residences, more security, more government vehicles, and thousands of additional government employees. Billions of taxpayers’ money would be consumed simply to keep these new governments functioning. Can a country battling inflation, debt, and shrinking public services really afford such an expansion?
Supporters argue that smaller provinces will improve governance. But governance does not improve by multiplying governments—it improves by improving those who govern. Without accountability, merit, and institutional reform, new provinces will simply create new centres of bureaucracy, political patronage, and public expenditure.
Mohsin Naqvi’s own position highlights this contradiction. As Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board—an independent institution with broad administrative authority—he has had the opportunity to demonstrate how effective leadership can transform an organization. The PCB does not require a constitutional amendment or a new administrative structure to implement reforms; it requires vision, planning, and execution. If meaningful institutional reform cannot be convincingly demonstrated where administrative authority already exists, why should the public believe that creating entirely new provincial governments will suddenly transform Pakistan?
Beyond the financial cost lies an even greater danger: political instability. The creation of new provinces is not merely an administrative exercise—it touches questions of identity, history, language, and regional rights. Any move in this direction is likely to face intense resistance from different parts of the country.
Sindh is a clear example. Many Sindhis regard the province as an indivisible historical and cultural homeland and strongly oppose its division. Any attempt to alter its boundaries could trigger widespread political protests and social unrest. Similar objections could arise in other provinces where people fear losing political influence, resources, or territorial identity.
The debate would inevitably raise contentious questions: Which districts will be separated? Which city will become the capital? How will water, natural resources, tax revenues, and government assets be divided? Rather than improving governance, these disputes could consume years of political energy, deepen regional mistrust, and create unnecessary constitutional and administrative crises.
Pakistan does not have a shortage of provinces—it has a shortage of good governance. Schools are not underperforming because there are too few provinces. Hospitals are not overcrowded because provincial boundaries are too large. Corruption does not exist because there are only four provincial governments. These problems stem from weak institutions, poor leadership, lack of accountability, and ineffective implementation of the law.
Instead of opening a divisive constitutional debate, the government should focus on reforms that directly improve people’s lives: strengthening local governments, ensuring merit-based appointments, modernising the civil service, improving education and healthcare, digitising public services, and enforcing accountability without political favouritism.
Pakistan needs stability, institutional reform, and effective governance—not another expensive layer of government. Before proposing new provinces, the government should first prove that it can govern the existing ones efficiently. Good governance unites a nation; divisive and costly experiments risk creating more chaos than solutions.