MARDAN: Pakistan Markazi Muslim League (PMML) spokesman Dr Muzamil Iqbal Hashmi has called for a stronger local government system and the creation of new administrative units in view of the country’s growing population, according to a statement issued by the party.
Dr Hashmi said Pakistan’s existing system had suffered serious failures, leaving citizens struggling with problems related to electricity, petroleum, wheat, education, healthcare, infrastructure and employment.
He said political stability, long-term planning and fundamental reforms were necessary to lift the country out of its ongoing crises.
Dr Hashmi made the remarks while speaking to journalists and party workers at the Mardan Press Club, and later while talking to journalists at a local hotel in Peshawar.
PMML Khyber Pakhtunkhwa President Ashfaq Khan, Mardan Division President Saqib Hussain, Division President Yawar Aftab, Deputy Information Secretary Taha Muneeb, Social Media Coordinator Hanzala Imad and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa spokesman Muhammad Abdullah were also present.
Dr Hashmi said prolonged load-shedding was unacceptable when billions of rupees were being paid to independent power producers (IPPs) in capacity payments. He said power outages of 16 to 18 hours, despite payments being made to plants that remained closed, showed that the existing energy system had failed.
Capacity payments to IPPs have been a subject of intense public debate in Pakistan in recent years, with critics linking them to rising electricity tariffs.
The PMML spokesman said repeated fluctuations in petroleum prices had created serious difficulties for industry, trade, transport workers and ordinary citizens. He added that farmers were facing high costs of fertiliser, electricity and other agricultural inputs, which he attributed to flawed government policies.
Dr Hashmi said public debt had increased several times since 2008, but the number of schools, colleges, universities and hospitals, as well as urban infrastructure, had not expanded at the required pace.
On the question of new administrative units, Dr Hashmi said they should be created on the basis of public welfare and consensus rather than political, linguistic or regional interests.
The creation of new units has long been debated in Pakistan, with supporters arguing that smaller administrative structures can bring governance closer to citizens, and opponents warning of political and ethnic sensitivities.
The spokesman said politics must become a means of public service rather than a pursuit of power or revenge. He called on all political parties to agree on a 25 to 30-year national development plan.
He also proposed annual performance reviews, along with white papers covering education, health, the economy and public debt at the end of each government’s term.
Dr Hashmi stressed the need to provide technical education to young people and connect them with the global job market. He also called for cheaper electricity, lower taxes and a business-friendly environment to boost exports.
Dr Hashmi’s call for stronger local governments touches on a recurring issue in Pakistani politics. Elected local bodies are widely seen as the tier of government closest to citizens’ everyday concerns, from sanitation and water supply to local roads, yet their powers and continuity have often varied from one province and one government to the next.
He said PMML would present a comprehensive plan for institutional reform and service-oriented politics aimed at putting Pakistan on the path to development.
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