The question of creating new provinces in Pakistan has remained one of the country’s most consequential and politically sensitive debates. It intersects with questions of federalism, political representation, administrative efficiency, equitable resource distribution, regional identity, economic development, constitutional reform and the quality of public service delivery.
Recognizing the complexity and national importance of this issue, the Advocacy Awareness & Sustainable Services Organization (AASS) convened a policy dialogue titled “New Provinces in Pakistan: The Way Forward” in Islamabad on 19 August 2026.
The dialogue brought together legal professionals, policy experts, former public officials, journalists, business representatives, civil society actors and other stakeholders to examine the question beyond political slogans and partisan positions.
The discussion did not adopt a predetermined position either in favour of or against the creation of new provinces. Instead, the central concern was whether Pakistan’s existing administrative and governance arrangements are adequately serving citizens—and, if not, what institutional reforms could provide better representation, more efficient administration, equitable development and improved access to public services.
The dialogue revealed that the question of new provinces cannot be considered in isolation. It is closely connected with the effectiveness of local governments, fiscal decentralization, provincial resource distribution, civil-service structures, judicial accessibility, economic planning, agricultural development and accountability mechanisms.
Several speakers argued that smaller and more manageable administrative units could bring government closer to citizens, improve representation and facilitate regional economic planning. Others emphasized that the creation of provinces could itself generate significant administrative, constitutional and fiscal costs and should therefore be approached through comprehensive research rather than political expediency.
A particularly important point of convergence was that territorial restructuring alone cannot solve Pakistan’s governance problems. Whether Pakistan creates new provinces, strengthens existing provinces, or pursues a combination of provincial and local-government reforms, the ultimate test must be measurable improvement in citizens’ lives.
The dialogue therefore points towards the need for a national, non-partisan and evidence-based framework for evaluating proposals for new provinces and other administrative units.
AASS believes that the debate should now move from political rhetoric to structured policy analysis.