ISLAMABAD: The Parliamentary debate on new provinces in Pakistan is set to take place in October, Federal Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Tariq Fazal Chaudhry said Thursday, as political parties continue to discuss possible changes to the country’s administrative structure.
Chaudhry said the National Assembly and Senate sessions scheduled for October would provide the appropriate platform for lawmakers to debate the creation of new provinces. He noted that neither house was scheduled to meet during September.
“The real place for the debate on new provinces is Parliament House,” the minister said, stressing that the issue should be discussed through the country’s parliamentary process.
Parliamentary debate on new provinces to focus on governance reforms
The minister also clarified that Islamabad is not being considered for provincial status. Instead, he said the federal capital is moving toward a new governance model designed to improve its administration.
His remarks followed reports that a high-level committee had submitted a proposal to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for an elected 27-member assembly for the Islamabad Capital Territory. The proposed structure reportedly includes a chief executive and 27 administrative departments.
The development has added another dimension to an expanding national debate over whether Pakistan needs new provinces, additional administrative units, or stronger local governments under the existing provincial framework.
The discussion gained momentum in July after Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi criticised the existing governance system and called for fundamental reforms. Naqvi argued that Pakistan needed new administrative units with greater powers devolved to lower levels.
He later clarified that his criticism was directed at the deterioration of the system over several decades rather than any particular government. On September 5, he said any restructuring should reflect the wishes of the people and described the situation as requiring a “reset”.
Political parties divided over administrative restructuring
Planning and Development Minister Ahsan Iqbal has also called for a nationwide discussion on the country’s administrative structure. He proposed examining the possibility of creating 12 to 15 provinces, while emphasising that such a major change would require political consensus.
Iqbal has argued that Pakistan’s four provinces remain highly centralised despite the devolution framework introduced through the 18th Amendment. He has also suggested creating around 160 empowered district governments as an alternative to simply increasing the number of provinces.
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According to his argument, demands for additional provinces could continue to grow if meaningful powers are not transferred to districts and local governments.
The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), however, has resisted taking the proposal forward, maintaining that no concrete plan for administrative restructuring has yet been presented to the party.
As the issue moves toward Parliament, the debate is increasingly taking shape around two competing solutions: redrawing Pakistan’s provincial boundaries or strengthening district and local governments within the existing four-province system.
The October parliamentary sessions could therefore become an important forum for lawmakers to assess the political, administrative and constitutional implications of any proposed restructuring.
