Over the past 15 months, Pakistan has impressed the world with its military response to India and subsequent diplomatic gains, especially since February, raising its international profile and improve its global image. The recent defense pacts with Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and others are the direct results of Pakistan’s military proving its power through performance.

Domestically, however, the country has not been able to match this performance. While military leadership has delivered on its share of responsibility, political leaders have failed to take the initiative for meaningful economic, governance, or bureaucratic reforms. This has deepened public frustration and appears to have created unease within the hybrid arrangement. With the establishment, through the interior minister, proposing smaller provinces or administrative units, politicians now face a choice: resist change, accept another imposed system, or offer a better alternative.

Political parties should develop a consensus and present an alternative that preserves their role in federal and provincial governance while using this moment to pursue long-overdue governance, economic and bureaucratic reforms. A constitutionally protected local government system offers that opportunity. A properly designed Local government system is not only a tool for faster, better service delivery to citizens; it can also drive economic growth and reduce bureaucratic control through financial and administrative empowerment.

A core cause of Pakistan’s governance and economic malaise is a system that rewards power without performance. NFC transfers, elite perks, untargeted subsidies, industrial protection, and governments formed after manipulated elections all reflect this pattern. Since 2008, money is transferred from federal government to the provinces every year without having an accountability of how the money is spent or measuring any KPIs on how this funding improves people’s lives. As the main tax collector, the federal government has failed taxpayers by tolerating corruption and weak oversight at both federal and provincial levels.

Similarly, bureaucrats, ministers, members of parliament, and judges keep receiving exorbitant perks and privileges without showing any improvement in performance. This does not even include the illicit........

© The Friday Times