Ahsan Clarifies Remarks On New Provinces, Calls For Grassroots Empowerment
ISLAMABAD, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 5th Sep, 2026)
Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives, Professor Ahsan Iqbal, on Saturday clarified his remarks regarding new provinces, stating that most of Pakistan’s social and human resource indicators had been declining over the last fifteen years, requiring significant improvement to achieve national development goals.
He attributed the country's poor performance in the social sector primarily to the lack of power and resource transfer to grassroots levels post the 18th Amendment, resulting in provincial power centralization. Ahsan Iqbal emphasized that to expedite national development, Pakistan needed to overcome weaknesses in human resources and social sectors swiftly.
He presented two options: establishing empowered local governments in 160 districts with direct resources from the Provincial Finance Commission or forming 12-15 new provinces through consensus. The current administrative structure, he argued, had become overloaded with a population of 260 million.
Ahsan Iqbal advocated for the formation of 160 district governments to facilitate power transfer to the lowest level and development in backward areas. He stressed that effective project implementation and local monitoring are crucial worldwide, while Pakistan has lagged in this regard.
Clarifying further, he stated that sustainable solutions to public issues are not feasible without grassroots-level power transfer. He added that successful administrative structures adapt and reform according to changing circumstances, stating, "A static system falls apart."
He urged political interests to take a back seat and focused on the country’s development needs when discussing administrative reforms. He also encouraged politicians to actively drive this initiative forward.