Whenever the debate over creating new provinces begins in Pakistan, one ‘objection’ quickly follows: that more provinces would ‘weaken’ the federation. The concern deserves consideration, but there is another question that must also be asked: Do large provinces necessarily make a federation stronger? History and experience from around the world suggest that national unity does not depend simply on the size of administrative units. A federation is strongest when its constituent units are satisfied, empowered and accountable to their people. Pakistan has one province that is exceptionally large in population, another that is vast in territory but sparsely populated, another marked by a sharp divide between its urban and rural populations, and another with highly complex geography.
In such a country, one administrative formula cannot be expected to produce the same results everywhere. The basic idea of a federal system is that different regions should be able to govern according to their local needs, while matters such as defense, foreign policy, currency, economic policy and other federal responsibilities remain with the central government. In this way, smaller provinces need not be competing centers of power. They can instead become more effective administrative units within the federation, bringing government closer to the people. The real danger is not the number of provinces, but it is the feeling of being ignored. When people in a region repeatedly feel that their voice does not reach the centers of decision-making, that their resources are not being used fairly, or that their needs are given insufficient political priority, distrust in the federation begins to grow.
Bringing administration closer to the people can help reduce that distrust. At the same time, any process of creating new provinces must be handled carefully. The provinces should not become permanent political fronts built around ethnic or linguistic divisions. If every administrative unit turns its identity into a political identity against others, divisions may deepen. A better approach would be to respect cultural and linguistic identities while making effective administration the central principle. In that model, smaller provinces could help create a more balanced federation rather than a more divided one. A strong Pakistan is not necessarily one with a few large provinces. It is one in which every citizen believes that the state can hear their voice.
If smaller administrative units can strengthen that sense of representation and trust, they should not automatically be seen as a ‘threat’ to the federation. The real test of Pakistan’s unity is not the size of its map but the reach of its justice. The federation will be stronger when even the citizen living farthest from the centers of power feels that the state is close to him—not only Islamabad or the provincial capitals, but the state itself. Pakistan is administratively divided into four main provinces, one federal capital territory, and two autonomous territories. Located in the east, Punjab is the most populous province with its capital at Lahore. While Balochistan is the largest province by area, located in the southwest, with its capital at Quetta. Located in the southeast along the Arabian Sea, Karachi is the capital of Sindh while Peshawar is the capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the northwest.
