The Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) convened a National Dialogue and Policy Workshop in Islamabad on 11 August 2026 to initiate a national debate on Pakistan’s administrative restructuring. The dialogue brought together leaders from across the political spectrum, including PML(N), PPP, MQM(P), PTI, JI(P) and JUI(F), alongside federal ministers, technocrats and civil society representatives.
Held under the title “Should Pakistan Create More Administrative Units?”, the discussion addressed one of the country’s most persistent governance questions: whether creating new provinces, redrawing administrative boundaries, or empowering existing local governments offers the most effective path towards improved service delivery and stronger government-citizen ties.
Speakers presented a range of perspectives, from calls for new provinces based on public demand and constitutional processes to arguments for strengthening existing districts and local governments through greater fiscal and administrative devolution. While views differed on the scale and structure of reform, participants broadly agreed that any changes must be evidence-based, fiscally sustainable and firmly rooted in the constitutional procedure prescribed under Article 239.
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Session 1: Can Creating New Provinces improve Governance and Administration
Session 1: Can Creating new Provinces improve Governance and Administration
Session 1: Can Creating new Provinces improve Governance and Administration
Session 1: Can Creating new Provinces improve Governance and Administration
Session 2: Is the Creation of New provinces Economically Feasible
Session 2: Is the creation of New provinces Economically Feasible
Session 2: Is the creation of New provinces Economically Feasible
Session 2: Is the Creation of New provinces Economically Feasible
Session 3: What Legal and Constitutional Changes Would New Provinces Require
Session 3: What Legal and Constitutional Changes Would New Provinces Require
Session 3: What Legal and Constitutional Changes Would New Provinces Require
Session 3: What Legal and Constitutional Changes Would New Provinces Require
Session 4: Way Forward — Political Wisdom
Session 4: Way Forward — Political Wisdom
Session 4: Way Forward — Political Wisdom
Session 4: Way Forward — Political Wisdom
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