Islamabad: Politics in Pakistan has heated up sharply. The sweeping decisions being taken by Army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir Ahmed Shah appear set to change the country’s future completely. The Army is reportedly considering abolishing the four existing major provinces and dividing the country into 12 to 15 new provinces, or even into 160 smaller administrative units. Officially, the restructuring is meant to make administration easily accessible to the people and to deliver government services faster. Political experts, however, say there is a bigger plan behind it.
Pakistan has four large provinces: Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. Politicians and regional parties with strong bases in these regions are becoming a major challenge to the central government and the Army. If the country is divided into small pieces, the electoral strength of regional parties would shrink. Smaller units would become entirely dependent on the Centre and the Army, both financially and administratively. It is believed that this would further tighten the Army’s hold over the country.
Punjab and Sindh
Punjab is Pakistan’s most populous region, with about 12.8 crore (128 million) people, and is the stronghold of Nawaz Sharif’s PML-N. In Sindh, the PPP, the party of the Bhutto family, holds greater sway. Splitting these two large provinces would put the politics of both parties at risk.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan
In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the party of jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan, the PTI, holds unchallenged dominance. The government already has serious differences with the party, and any attempt to change boundaries now could worsen political unrest.
Balochistan, the largest province by area, has a population of only 1.5 crore (15 million). Separatist movements and fierce protests over the exploitation of natural resources are already under way there. Any attempt to divide the region would be certain to draw strong opposition from its people.
Challenges ahead
Redrawing Pakistan’s map is not easy. Amending the Constitution, winning the approval of political parties and withstanding protests from local people will pose a major challenge for the Army. In Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, too, serious agitations over the prices of essential goods and taxes have already begun. Whether Asim Munir will go ahead with dividing Pakistan into provinces even at such a time remains to be seen.