KARACHI, Sept 13: The country could only be saved from turmoil and political chaos if present four provinces, which are highly unbalanced in population and sizes, are substituted by 22 small provinces. This will help establish deep-rooted democracy by providing a political structure in which stresses and strains could evenly be distributed and get dissipated.

These views were reiterated by Mirza Jawad Baig, who is the founder of Tehreek-i-Shehri Hukoomat.

Addressing a press conference at Karachi Press Club on Wednesday afternoon, Mirza Jawad Baig, who suffered over two-year imprisonment for floating the idea of small provinces in 1971, said: “Even after 59 years of independence, our political leaders are governing our people in the same imperialistic fashion, without any changes in political, administrative and socio-economic structure of pre-partition days of slavery”.

He said it would not be too late if the real cause of the malaise was recognized and identified.

Recounting 19 benefits of the small provinces, he said as small units would not be demarcated on the basis of language or culture there could be more than two units having the same language and culture. Besides, the small units would eliminate regional economic disparities by promoting accelerated development of the interior of the country. With the provincial capital, the urbanization of the peripheral areas would be encouraged, thereby promoting demand for goods and services and creating job opportunities.

Likewise, he said, small units meant manifold increase in people’s participation in the affairs of their government. The seat of government and justice would come closer to the people. The elected representatives would be more responsive to the needs of their constituents and would be open to greater accountability. They would not be able to deceive people by empty slogans like nationalities, language and culture.

He pointed out that the present structure was averse to create national leadership, as the leaders made out of linguistic, cultural and other regional prejudices became regionalist.

As a result, a new breed of dedicated leaders would emerge, he added.

Mr Baig said that small units would also be able to check the present alarming influx from the under-developed interior towards big cities because with the activities within the small provinces, ample opportunities would be created for local people very near their ancestral homes.

The 22 smaller units suggested as substitute to the present four provinces, are: Makran, Lasbela, Kalat, Sibi, Quetta, Karachi, Hyderabad, Larkana, Sukkur, Bhawalpur, D.G. Khan, Multan, Lahore, Gujranwala, Faisalabad, Sargodha, Rawalpindi, D.I. Khan, Peshawar, Hazara, Malakand and Northern Areas (Gilgit agency) while FATA areas would be merged with the adjoining provinces of Malakand and Peshawar.In reply to a question, he said that the average population of the proposed 22 provinces would be 7,990,000. This average exceeds the population of 56 independent countries of the world including Denmark, Ireland, Israel, Jordan, Kyrgyzstan, Libya, New Zealand and Norway.

He said that Pakistan, being the fifth largest state in the world, had the least number of provinces/states, even less than Sri Lanka and Nepal. “The population of Punjab exceeds the populations of every independent country of the world, except 10 countries-Bangladesh, Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Nigeria, Russia, Taiwan and the USA.

Likewise, he said, the population of Sindh exceeds the populations of the 102 countries of the world while the area of Balochistan exceeds the areas of 108 independent countries of the world.