Constitutional legislation for 12 provinces "under consideration". : Punjab proposed to be divided into four provinces: sources. : NFC Award resource distribution poses a major challenge: sources.
: ISLAMABAD: The proposed restructuring of the country into 12 provinces, if achieved through constitutional means, will be implemented after the 2029 elections, The News reported on Monday.
Sources, however, talked about some financial, constitutional and administrative challenges, with distribution of resources under the National Finance Commission (NFC) Award, sharing of water resources and settlement of financial liabilities emerging as the three most critical issues.
Although constitutional legislation for the proposed restructuring is under consideration for next year, the actual implementation of the new provincial structure is likely to take place only after the 2029 general elections, sources familiar with the discussions said.
Under the proposal, Punjab could be divided into four provinces, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan into three each, while Sindh could be divided into two, taking the total number of provinces from the existing four to 12.
Sources said that even if the required constitutional amendments were passed next year, the existing provincial governments and assemblies would continue functioning until the next general elections.
The proposed administrative restructuring would subsequently be implemented following the 2029 electoral exercise.
However, the transition to 12 provinces would require agreement on several sensitive issues involving the financial and economic rights of the existing provinces and their proposed successor units.
The first major challenge would be the distribution of resources under the NFC Award.
Currently, the provincial share of the federal divisible pool is distributed among four provinces under an established formula that takes into account factors including population, poverty and backwardness and revenue generation.
The creation of eight additional provinces would raise fundamental questions about how the existing provincial share would be redistributed among 12 units.
It would also require determining whether the existing formula should continue or whether a revised mechanism should be introduced to accommodate the financial requirements of the new provinces.
The second major challenge relates to the distribution of water resources.
Pakistan’s water-sharing arrangements are currently governed by the 1991 Water Apportionment Accord, which determines the shares of the four existing provinces in the Indus River system.
The creation of new provinces would necessitate a fresh understanding of how the existing water allocations would be divided among the newly established units.
This could become particularly sensitive in regions where water availability, irrigation requirements and agricultural dependence are already sources of disagreement.
A mechanism would therefore be required to determine whether the existing provincial allocations would remain intact and subsequently be divided among successor provinces or whether a broader revision of water-sharing arrangements would be necessary.
The third major challenge would concern the settlement of financial liabilities between the federal government and the existing provinces.
There are outstanding financial claims, transfers, loans and other fiscal obligations involving the federation and provincial governments.
Any restructuring would require a clear mechanism to determine how these liabilities and financial entitlements would be distributed among the new provinces.
This would involve deciding which successor province would assume responsibility for existing provincial debts, how federal loans and other obligations would be apportioned, and how outstanding payments owed by the Centre to the provinces would be transferred to the newly created units.
The exercise would require a comprehensive assessment of the financial position of each existing province and its proposed successor units to avoid disputes over the allocation of assets, liabilities and outstanding dues.
These issues are likely to require extensive consultations among the federal government, provincial governments and other stakeholders before the proposed constitutional restructuring can move towards implementation.