Islamabad : Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal has said that governance is the face of a state that citizens encounter daily at federal, provincial, district and grassroots levels, thus strengthening these tiers of democracy is essential to bring about meaningful reforms.
The Minister was addressing a policy dialogue on “Strengthening governance: lessons and pathways from SNG-II” jointly organised here by United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI).
The minister stressed that governance is the decisive factor between transformation and stagnation in Pakistan urging stakeholders to translate evidence-based reforms into action to improve service delivery and institutional performance across provinces and districts. He explained that for ordinary citizens, governance is reflected in everyday experiences such as whether teachers reach schools on time, whether Basic Health Units function properly and whether roads are repaired efficiently.
He said the country stands at a critical point of inflection and stability remains the “runway” required for national take-off. He described governance as the first pillar of the government’s “Uraan Pakistan” framework and emphasised that business-as-usual approaches must be replaced with proactive system-wide reforms.
Referring to the Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution of Pakistan, the minister termed it a historic milestone that strengthened the Federation by devolving powers to provinces but noted that the process remained incomplete due to insufficient empowerment at district and local levels. “Devolution remains unfinished without strong local governments,” he said, stressing that provincial capitals alone cannot effectively address the challenges of remote districts and towns.
He underscored that the next generation of governance reforms must focus equally on provincial and grassroots levels to ensure citizen-centric service delivery. He also called for shifting planning and budgeting priorities from expenditure utilisation to measurable outcomes and emphasised the need for transparent public finance management and resource mobilisation rather than development cuts.
Speaking earlier, Samuel Rizk, Resident Representative of UNDP Pakistan, said the Sub-National Governance Programme (SNG-II) highlighted the need for resilient institutions capable of responding to crises and financial constraints, adding that local resilience is critical for effective governance. He stressed that ownership of governance reforms must now be strengthened after the completion of SNG-II and called for integrating governance priorities into government budgeting frameworks and national development planning.
In his opening remarks, Dr Abid Qaiyum Suleri, Executive Director, SDPI, said the global landscape is undergoing rapid transformation due to geopolitical tensions and shifting regional dynamics, requiring governance systems to remain adaptive and responsive.
