Speaking at a consultation with media representatives on Islamabad Capital Territory governance reforms, Iqbal said the existing two-tier government system had become ineffective in improving social indicators and meeting the needs of the country’s population.
He said Pakistan’s democratic system had become overly centralised, with only around 1,170 government offices serving a population of approximately 260 million.
“Unless 150,000 to 200,000 government offices are established through local governments, public problems cannot be resolved,” he said.
Iqbal warned that if political leaders failed to introduce meaningful reforms, the situation could eventually move beyond their control.
He said Pakistan’s third tier of government—local governments—must be fully empowered for the democratic system to function effectively.
The minister pointed out that the federal government had transferred 17 departments to the provinces in 2010, but the provinces had not devolved a single department to local governments.
Referring to Article 140-A of the Constitution, Iqbal said it provides for the third tier of government but remains vague about the mechanisms for transferring administrative, financial and political authority to local bodies.
He cited India’s 28 states and Afghanistan’s 34 provinces as examples, saying that if Pakistan was unwilling to create new provinces, establishing 160 empowered district governments would be the only viable alternative.
Discussing Islamabad’s governance structure, Iqbal said the capital was being administered under a presidential order and that around 2.6 million residents had little or no meaningful role in the affairs of the federal capital.
Iqbal is also secretary-general of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and is among the senior government figures calling for fundamental reforms to the country’s existing governance framework.