Running Balochistan from Quetta Alone Is a Major Administrative Challenge; Provincial Government Has Increased Divisions from 8 to 12 and Districts to 41: Sarfraz Bugti

ISLAMABAD/QUETTA (Quadrat Daily) — Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti has said that to deal with the administrative and governance challenges facing Balochistan, improve the provision of basic facilities to the people and take government services to the people’s doorstep, more administrative units, an effective local government system and additional resources are needed. Running a province as vast as Balochistan while sitting only in Quetta is a major administrative challenge, which is why a serious review of administrative reorganisation in the country, the creation of new provinces and the current governance system is necessary.

Addressing a national debate on Pakistan’s administrative reorganisation and the creation of new provinces organised by the Sanober Foundation, the chief minister said the start of a national dialogue on administrative reforms is welcome, but this debate should be taken to Parliament rather than confined to seminars and hotels, and broad consensus should be built among all political parties. He said that for several months a debate has been ongoing in the country on maintaining or restructuring the current governance system. In this context, it is necessary to assess whether Westminster-style democracy is delivering the desired results to the people, or whether administrative divisions and geographical size are also hindering the delivery of public services.

Explaining the geographical difference between Balochistan and other parts of the country, Mir Sarfraz Bugti said that travelling in Punjab from the Wahga border to Shahwali near Rajanpur takes about six to seven hours, whereas travelling from one place to another within a single district of Balochistan can take ten hours. According to him, this difference is enough to understand the province’s administrative needs.

Referring to an incident from his tenure as interior minister, the chief minister said that after a suicide attack at a shrine near Saruna, a remote area of Khuzdar, a TV anchor asked him why the deputy commissioner had not reached the site. He said the relevant deputy commissioner needed about nine hours to reach the site from the district headquarters. According to him, this situation highlights the problems between geographical distances and the existing administrative structure.

He said that under the National Finance Commission, population is given primary importance in the distribution of resources, but geographical size, administrative needs and access of the people to government services should also be given due importance.

According to Mir Sarfraz Bugti, during his government’s tenure the number of divisions has been increased from eight to twelve and the number of districts from about 36 to 41. These steps aim to ease administrative affairs by dividing large districts into smaller administrative units and to provide the people better access to government services. He said the provincial government has taken steps under its powers, but broader political consensus is necessary for major constitutional and administrative decisions.

Regarding the local government system, the chief minister said local government institutions exist in Balochistan, but the lack of resources is an important issue. He said the current term of local government institutions is ending on 8 February and the provincial government has written to the Election Commission of Pakistan requesting that a date be given immediately for holding local government elections so the democratic process continues.

Speaking on Balochistan’s representation in national politics, he said the number of MNAs elected from the province is less than the representation of each of the Gujranwala, Lahore and Faisalabad divisions. According to him, mainstream political parties need to pay more serious attention to Balochistan’s problems, needs and development priorities.

The chief minister said the primary responsibility of politicians is legislation, but Pakistan’s political process has largely been reduced to winning votes on the basis of drains, roads and local development projects. Through a strong local government system, local issues should be resolved by elected local representatives so that members of the provincial and national assemblies can focus on legislation and broader policy matters.

At the conclusion of his address, Mir Sarfraz Bugti said resolving Balochistan’s problems requires the serious attention of mainstream political parties, national media, intellectuals, relevant institutions and especially the bureaucracy. He stressed that the province’s needs should be given their proper place in national policymaking and that effective reorganisation of the administrative structure, additional administrative units, a strong local government system and the provision of appropriate resources should be ensured.