Republic Policy’s book Beyond Four Provinces, which has now been published, makes a fundamental argument: the debate over new provinces in Pakistan cannot simply be treated as a debate about creating new administrative units. Pakistan is a federal state. Therefore, the central question is whether new units should be federal units or merely administrative units.
A federal unit and an administrative unit are fundamentally different concepts, and distinguishing between them is essential. In a federal state, a federal unit is formed on the basis of a constitutional and political compact between a nation, community or political entity and the federation, with constitutional guarantees protecting its status.
An administrative unit, by contrast, is primarily created to devolve state authority, organise administration and bring governance closer to the people. In this sense, administrative units are essentially connected with devolution and the concept of local government.
Local government can be established at the district, division, regional or another territorial level. Therefore, the primary purpose of an administrative unit is not identity or nationality, but effective administration, devolution of powers and public service delivery.
Treating federal and administrative units as the same concept would therefore be a fundamental misunderstanding of Pakistan’s federal structure. Within a federation such as Pakistan, different administrative units and local governments can be established within the federal units themselves.
This arrangement is different from the administrative model of a unitary state. China, for example, is a unitary state, so its provinces and other territorial units are primarily organised according to administrative requirements. Pakistan, however, is a federation. Therefore, the constitutional status and principles governing the formation of federal and administrative units should be different.
The central argument of my book is that Pakistan needs both federal units and administrative units, but the two must be understood through separate constitutional and administrative concepts.
Federal units are primarily connected with identity, political representation, nationality, political organisation, bureaucratic organisation and fiscal arrangements. A federal unit exists so that a particular community can pursue its collective identity and national objectives within the federation under constitutional guarantees.
Administrative units, on the other hand, are concerned with territorial proximity, administrative efficiency, devolution and bringing governance to the doorstep of citizens. Their boundaries may be determined by factors such as administrative convenience, territorial proximity, population, geography, common characteristics and other administrative indicators.
Administrative units should therefore be understood as part of the broader framework of local government through which authority can be transferred closer to the people.
Pakistan’s existing constitutional framework also provides a clear constitutional route for the creation of federal units, which can be pursued through broader political consensus. Similarly, the system of local government and devolution can be strengthened under the relevant provisions of the Constitution.
My proposal is that Pakistan should first establish a strong, empowered and effective system of local government that ensures the devolution of administrative authority within every federal unit. Such a system may consist of one, two or three tiers, provided that powers, financial resources and administrative responsibilities are clearly devolved.
Pakistan can then move towards a more structured, constitutional and political debate on the question of federal units.
The purpose of my book, therefore, is not simply to propose an increase in the number of provinces in Pakistan. Its central objective is to explain that Pakistan needs both federal and administrative units, but their purposes, constitutional status and methods of formation must remain distinct.
Beyond Four Provinces explains this fundamental distinction and presents a constitutional, political and administrative framework for Pakistan’s federal future. It is an constitutional analysis, a comparative study, and a roadmap for developing Pakistan’s federal structure.
The book’s central intellectual framework is based on federalism and republicanism.
Republic Policy’s Beyond Four Provinces has now been published and is available at Vanguard Books and other major bookstores.
