TRUE to tradition, a ‘plan’ to ‘reset’ the country’s entire structure has come down like an epiphany from apparently ‘non-political’ quarters.
asserted
plan → reset → quarters
The plan envisages creating multiple provinces and changing the country’s very tapestry — its geography, topography, demography, ethnic relations, resource distribution, power sharing, and broader political calculus.
asserted
plan → envisage → tapestry
The situation raises critical questions.
asserted
situation → raise → questions
The interior minister, who announced the plan, hasn’t held forth on the reasoning or offered an acceptable justification for adopting such an extreme and hazardous course.
asserted
who → announce → course
However, he has mentioned bad governance, population implosion, and systemic failures as some of the causes.
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he → mention → causes
In fact, the global landscape reveals a mixed pattern.
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landscape → reveal → pattern
Some countries have fewer or territorially larger constituent units, and yet they are stable, functional, even enviable.
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they → have → units
Others have multiple small units/ provinces, but are perennially afflicted with broken, inept and even failed political systems.
asserted
Others → have → systems
The factors that generally determine the performance and vitality of a state are the legitimacy and efficacy of its political system, the character and ability of its leadership, and the maturity and capacity of its institutions — not only to deliver better governance, but also to meet the continuing challenges thrown up by ever-changing societal and state imperatives.
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that → determine → imperatives
In revitalising the ‘failed’ political systems, we don’t know if the so-called plan contemplates these factors.
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plan → revitalise → factors
Who is demanding them?
asserted
Who → demand → them
Interestingly, most of these ideas have originated outside regular political processes, whether as One Unit, Basic Democracy, ‘Islamisation’, enlightened moderation, or hybrid governance.
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most → originate → Unit
People have always been on the receiving end of new-fangled ideas and their pernicious consequences.
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People → receive → ideas
The call for a structural ‘reset’, too, appears to have similar origins.
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call → appear → origins
So far, none of the governments — federal, provincial or even local — or the mainstream political leaderships have called for restructuring the provinces.
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none → call → provinces
In fact, the Punjab and KP assemblies passed resolutions for these provinces, but they went nowhere.
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they → pass → provinces
Instead of new units, the country needs softer options to heal societal wounds.
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country → need → wounds
Reorganising the state structures would be an extremely risky exercise.
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Reorganising → reorganise → structures
India’s Congress party had included the ‘linguistic’ provinces in its manifesto as early as 1917.
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party → include → 1917
Yet, after Partition, both prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru and home minister Vallabhbhai Patel were reluctant to reorganise the states, fearing balkanisation of the fledgling country.
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Nehru → reorganise → country
It was many months of intense political agitations across the country, expert studies, judicial commissions, and a much-mourned fast unto death by Telugu nationalist Potti Sriramulu that finally brought the government around.
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that → mourn → government
Still, the Reorganisation Act of 1955 was not passed to improve governance but to group various linguistic communities in their own separate states.
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Act → pass → states
In other words, distinctive ethno-cultural identities were recognised and restored, rather than brutally denied and suppressed as would have been the case if the states had been broken up in a manner that dispersed the historically located ethno-cultural communities — something that is being contemplated here.
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that → recognise → communities
Perhaps encouraged by the smooth passage of the controversial 26th and 27th constitutional amendments, and not expecting a large section of the political establishment to oppose the proposed move, some elements here had appeared confident of securing the required numbers to ensure restructuring.
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elements → encourage → restructuring
However, the JUI-F, ANP, PTI, and even the ruling party’s major coalition partner have dug in their heels.
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F → rule → heels
In fact, even the prime minister and his party seem reluctant to support the restructuring, though some government ministers are backing it, albeit without the cabinet’s approval.
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ministers → seem → approval
Likewise, the Sindh Assembly has also rejected the break-up of the province.
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Assembly → reject → province
As a result, other means are being sought — preferably, a referendum to execute the plan.
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means → seek → plan
But a referendum would not validate the wholesale reorganisation of the state.
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referendum → validate → state
It lacks legitimacy and credibility.
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It → lack → legitimacy
It cannot be used to circumvent or be a substitute for the mandatory constitutional amendment.
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It → use → amendment
People will not accept it because every military dictator has used it to legitimise their rule.
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dictator → accept → rule
Instead, a referendum will be seen as farcical and incite public anger, triggering a maelstrom of pushback.
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referendum → see → pushback
Will the ‘plan’ succeed?
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plan → succeed → ?
Any idea, policy, or law that is imposed on the people has miserably failed to achieve its objectives; in fact, it has often led to disasters.
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it → impose → disasters
Steamrolling the restructuring of provinces — against the will of the people — will further aggravate identity-driven politics across a fragile multiethnic landscape.
asserted
Steamrolling → steamroll → landscape
It may even ignite the tinderbox the country has become, particularly for poor and disgruntled youth who have endured the harrowing realities of failed systems.
uncertain
who → ignite → systems
Half the population lives in poverty, around 28 million children are out of school, four out of 10 children suffer from stunted growth, three-fourths of the populace is consuming contaminated water, and the increasingly murky security environment scares away local and foreign investors.
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environment → live → investors
In these dire circumstances, the country desperately needs softer options to heal societal wounds — options that recompense the people through justice, equity, peace, opportunity, and development, which are democracy’s tested tools.
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which → need → justice
The yawning fault lines — ethnic, social, political, inter-provincial and centre-province — must be mended, and federal democracy, which remains buried under the hybrid regime, restored.
asserted
which → mend → regime
…and 6 more, not listed.
The Aporia
