PBF for national dialogue to restructure governance framework
KARACHI: The Pakistan Business Forum (PBF), a non-partisan representative body of the country’s business community, has called for a serious national dialogue on restructuring Pakistan’s governance framework through the creation of new provinces, arguing that effective governance is essential to ensuring sustainable economic development, justice, employment, and improved public service delivery.
The call follows the participation of the PBF senior leadership including Chief Organiser Ahmad Jawad, Sr Vice President Amna Awan, Chairman Punjab Malik Talat Suhail and Chairman Sindh Malik Khuda Baksh in the First Economic Summit held at the Jinnah Convention Centre, Islamabad, where Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi highlighted the pressing governance challenges confronting Pakistan.
According to PBF, the observations made during the summit underscore the urgent need to revisit Pakistan’s administrative structure in light of the country’s rapidly growing population and expanding governance responsibilities.
The forum says Pakistan, today faces unprecedented demographic and economic pressures. Every year, approximately four to five million children are born in the country, increasing the demand for education, healthcare, housing, employment opportunities, infrastructure, and access to justice.
These realities raise fundamental questions for policymakers: How will Pakistan provide quality education to millions of new students? How will sufficient employment opportunities be created? How will citizens receive timely justice and efficient public services under the existing governance model?
The PBF believes these questions deserve practical and forward-looking solutions rather than political rhetoric. One option that merits serious national consideration is the creation of additional provinces with greater administrative decentralization, allowing governments to operate closer to the people they serve.
International experience provides several examples of countries adapting their administrative structures to meet changing governance needs. India has created several new states over the past decades, including Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Telangana, and Uttarakhand, with the objective of improving governance, administrative efficiency, and regional development.
China administers its vast population through numerous provincial-level divisions, municipalities, and autonomous regions, enabling localized planning and implementation of development policies. Iran also manages its governance through multiple provinces to facilitate efficient administration across diverse geographic and demographic regions.
These international examples demonstrate that administrative restructuring is not a sign of political weakness but rather an instrument of modern governance when supported by constitutional processes and national consensus.
Pakistan, with a population exceeding 250 million people, continues to operate with relatively few provinces compared to several other populous countries. As populations expand, governance challenges naturally become more complex. Larger administrative units often face difficulties in delivering services equitably across distant regions, while local concerns may receive less attention due to centralized decision-making.
The PBF emphasises that the discussion should not be viewed through the lens of politics or ethnicity but through the broader objectives of administrative efficiency, economic competitiveness, and improved governance. The business community believes that smaller administrative units, if designed carefully and constitutionally, could help accelerate infrastructure development, improve investment facilitation, strengthen local industries, reduce bureaucratic bottlenecks, and enhance accountability within government institutions.
Recognizing the sensitivity and national importance of this issue, PBF has proposed that the matter be placed before the people of Pakistan through a transparent and constitutional referendum. Such a democratic exercise would allow citizens to express their views directly on whether the country should move toward establishing additional provinces.
If the majority of Pakistanis support the proposal, PBF believes the government should initiate the constitutional and legislative process without unnecessary delay. Conversely, if public opinion does not support such a restructuring, that democratic verdict should also be respected. The ultimate objective is not merely to increase the number of provinces but to improve governance outcomes for all citizens.
The Forum maintains that governance reforms must remain people-centric. Efficient public administration is closely linked with investor confidence, economic productivity, employment generation, and social stability. Better administrative accessibility can contribute to faster decision-making, improved implementation of development projects, and stronger coordination between federal, provincial, and local governments.
Pakistan stands at an important crossroads where demographic expansion, urbanization, technological transformation, and economic challenges demand innovative institutional reforms. The business community believes that governance structures established decades ago should be periodically reviewed to determine whether they continue to meet the country’s evolving needs.
The PBF reiterates its commitment to supporting constitutional reforms, democratic consultation, and evidence-based policymaking. It believes that meaningful governance reform, regardless of the specific model ultimately adopted, should remain focused on improving the quality of life of every Pakistani by ensuring better education, stronger healthcare systems, expanded employment opportunities, efficient public administration, and timely access to justice.
PBF has called upon policymakers, constitutional experts, economists, civil society, academia, and the general public to engage in a constructive national dialogue on the future of Pakistan’s governance architecture. The Forum believes that long-term national prosperity will depend not only on economic policies but also on administrative systems capable of effectively serving an ever-growing population.
“The debate on new provinces should not be viewed through political or ethnic lenses. It is fundamentally about improving governance, accelerating economic development, creating jobs, ensuring timely justice, and bringing government closer to the people. If the people of Pakistan support this vision through a constitutional referendum, the nation should move forward with confidence.”
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026