DLP Report
PESHAWAR
Former Federal Minister and Senator Salim Saifullah Khan has urged the federal government to restructure Pakistan’s administrative map by creating new provinces and developing new planned cities to reduce pressure on existing overcrowded capitals.
He proposed that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa be divided into two provinces, Punjab into three, while Sindh and Balochistan should each be split into two. In Balochistan, he said, the Pashtun belt and Baloch tribal areas should be given separate provinces to address their needs fairly and effectively.
Salim Saifullah Khan noted that provincial capitals such as Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar, and Quetta are facing immense population pressure due to rapid growth and migration. “Along with new provinces, the government must build new cities and administrative hubs so that resources, opportunities, and governance are more evenly distributed,” he said.
He added that the creation of smaller provinces would bring multiple benefits, including faster response to public needs, equitable distribution of resources, greater empowerment of local government representatives, and better disaster management in emergencies such as floods and earthquakes.
Citing international examples, he said India operates with 28 states, the United States with 50, China with 23 provinces, and Turkey with 81 provincial divisions. “These models show that decentralization leads to stronger governance and inclusive growth,” he remarked.
He concluded that Pakistan must adopt this reform to strengthen national unity, reduce grievances of smaller regions, and bring governance closer to the people.
