Defense minister expresses support for creation of new provinces, says there is no harm in movement and no one should fear it
Defense Minister Khawaja Asif speaks during a session at Think Fest in Lahore on Saturday. Photo: Screengrab
LAHORE:
Defense Minister Khawaja Asif emphasized on Saturday that Pakistan’s stability lay in strong local government, and no one should see it as a threat.
“When powers are not taken down to the grass root level, it is tantamount to deceiving the people. Local government should not be seen as a threat but as a nursery school. The world knows New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani and this is the biggest example,” Asif said while speaking at the Devolution for Revolution session at Think Fest in Lahore.
He said politicians could only secure their authority legally and constitutionally by seeking endorsement directly from the people. “If politicians want their power to be legitimate, they need to reach out to the country’s 250 million people,” he said.
The defense minister said the local government posed no threat to any institution and instead ensured stability. “All institutions remain safe under a local system of government. I don’t understand why my own fraternity feels insecure,” he remarked.
He recalled that all three military rulers – Ayub Khan, General Ziaul Haq and Pervez Musharraf – relied on local governments, which enabled them to maintain their rule by devolving power to the grassroots while maintaining central control.
Asif identified bureaucratic influence over politicians as a major cause of political failure in the country. “First comes influence, then dependency. When dependency sets in, politicians lose the ability to see long-term realities,” he said, adding that artificially created environments cloud political vision and remove leaders from ground realities.
The defense minister expressed regret and said politicians continued to avoid empowering local institutions despite the model being easy to understand. “It pains me that even after decades in politics, we have failed to bring meaningful change,” he said, adding that many current parliamentarians were themselves products of the local government system introduced during General Zia’s era.
The minister emphasized that political power could be strengthened through institution building by giving local authorities fiscal powers, administrative powers including police and economic independence at the city and tehsil levels. He said this decentralization would also help ease budget pressures at the federal and provincial levels.
Asif highlighted international examples and referred to a recent visit to Morocco where he observed clean and well-managed neighborhoods despite narrow streets in historic city centers. He said an effective local government system there had instilled a sense of participation among the citizens, ensuring cleanliness, sanitation and basic services through local taxation.
“In Pakistan, only a few hundred thousand people are politically engaged out of 250 million,” he lamented. “The majority have never felt that they are part of the system or that their will and choices matter.”
To clarify his position, Asif said that he was not criticizing others but himself. “I have been in parliament for many years, yet we have failed to introduce transformative reforms,” he admitted.
He said the most pressing issue facing the country was strengthening local governments, adding that the only segment that felt threatened by this shift was the civil bureaucracy whose authority would be transferred to elected representatives. “Once powers are shifted from deputy commissioners to local governments and mayors, real stability will begin,” he said.
Referring to history, the defense minister noted that the local government system was institutionalized by colonial rulers 150 to 200 years ago who felt no threat in decentralizing authority despite their small numbers. “But today we fear diversity – different parties win in different cities or union councils,” he said.
“It is this diversity, these differences and this colorful political landscape from which democracy truly flourishes,” Asif concluded.
He also expressed support for the creation of new provinces in Pakistan and said that there is no harm in the move and no one should fear it.
The debate on governance issues and local governments has seen a resurgence since the Gul Plaza tragedy at a mall in Karachi, which has so far claimed 71 lives.
