The Creation of New Provinces in Pakistan: Implications for an Integrated Country
Another important implication of creating new provinces on the national integration will come in shape of self-rule. When the people of these areas will be allowed to exercise provincial autonomy thus ruling themselves, they can better decide their lives keeping in view their resources and needs. This thing will keep them busy in healthy local politics and prevent sedition.
Thirdly, creating new provinces can ensure better administration. It is mostly difficult to administer a large province. Thus dividing it into two or more smaller provinces can help in administering it well. This also brings fortune to the people of that area without transmission of resources and revenue to the other autonomous parts of the province.
Fourthly, creation of new provinces strengthens national integration by bringing welfare to the state as a whole. When a province of country is welfare, it will surely add to the strength of the state.
Contrary to the positive implications of creating new provinces on Pakistan, there are certain abnormalities that are attributed with taking such a step. In general creation of new provinces is a constitutional step which in no way can disintegrate a country. A nation's integration begins to deteriorate when the issue about the creation of new provinces is politicized. When the political parties begin to measure the creation of new provinces according to their peculiar interests, several controversies emerge. Take example of the behavior of Pakistan's political parties on the issue of new provinces. Pakistan People's Party supports the voice for Siraiki province to curb the influence of Pakistan Muslim League (N) in Punjab. To counter this move, the latter political party supports the Muhajir community in making Karachi a province to contain the influence of Pakistan People's Party in Sindh. Thus, this sort of politics keeps on rendering the issues controversial.
Pakistan's integration will be adversely impacted by the creation of new provinces in case the provinces are created on ethnic lines. A new province is meant to be created on administrative basis. It is when done in order to favor an ethnic group, the national integration faces a blow.
New provinces if created in Pakistan can weaken country's integration if provincialism overwhelms the political scene. If the people of a province pledge to vote only the political party of that province, it will annihilate national cohesion. In the past, the people of Bengal voted for Awami Muslim League and the Peoples Party won in the West Pakistan. This later proved to be of fatal consequence when the politico-lingual gaps between the two became so wide that the East Pakistan seceded from the West Pakistan. This sort of provincialism has caused considerable damage to the national unity in the past.
To cope all such circumstances in Pakistan, a middle way can be adopted. New provinces shall not be created as a first resort but this is conditioned with the pledge to administer the already existing provinces with just policies for all areas. In case it becomes inevitable to create a new province, it should be in no way on the ethnic lines. This can lead to dire consequences and sever implications on national integration.
In compact, creation of new provinces can be fruitful if not based on ethnic lines and not subject to abnormal politicization of the issues. Pakistan integration shall be kept prior before devising any such plan.