All this talk about “more provinces” sounds innocent on the surface, but one must ask the real question:
why did the Establishment suddenly bring this into the national conversation? What exactly is the benefit for them? And more importantly....
is there anything in this for the public? Will ordinary Pakistanis get even a single ounce of relief?
Because the math is brutal.
Creating
32 provinces doesn’t mean development, it means
32 Chief Ministers,
32 provincial cabinets,
32 bureaucratic empires, and
dozens of new political fiefdoms. It means
28 additional platforms for the same elite families, Zardari, Bilawal, Nawaz Sharif, Maryam Nawaz, Shahbaz Sharif, Hamza Shahbaz to expand their patronage networks.
Pakistan is struggling to secure
just 3 billion dollars from lenders.
Where exactly will the money come from to finance
32 new provincial governments?
Will the public be hit with...
- higher electricity tariffs?
- new petroleum levies?
- more indirect taxes?
- more surcharges disguised as “reforms”?
Because nothing in Pakistan is free especially not political expansion.
The entire proposal makes it look like the Establishment is not worried about Pakistan’s economic survival or public suffering. They seem worried about
their own position, their own leverage, their own administrative reach.
And one cannot ignore the geopolitical angle.... Is this sudden push for provincial fragmentation coming from
external pressure? Is this being encouraged by
Western partners at a time when
China is openly unhappy with Pakistan’s instability and governance paralysis?
The timing is suspicious.
The economics are impossible.
And the public benefit is nonexistent.
This is not reform.
This is
political multiplication of power centers at the expense of a nation already drowning.
This will require legislation, pass amendments and have to be approved by provincial assemblies.
There are even talks to bring back Altaf Hussian to create another MQM. How will establishment manage 3 different MQM ?
These are establishment puppets and completely useless. Same Mustafa Kamal during PSP accused Wasim Akhtar of drinking and having Cocaine parties.