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LAHORE: During the last half a century, various countries have opted for new demarcations based on administrative, geographic, linguistic, cultural and historical requirements, resulting in better governance, enhanced social cohesion, improved resource management, surging Gross Domestic Products (GDPs) per capita, sparing revenues and increasing responsiveness of their local governments.
Research shows that while Pakistan continues to have four provinces since 1974 (same number as 1947), India has increased the number of its administrative units from 22 to 28 states and eight union territories during the same period.
On the eve of Independence, India had 17 provinces and 500 princely states, but a 58-day hunger strike led by the then prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru, resulted in the creation of the state of Andhra with 11 Telugu speaking districts. In 1956, India was divided into 14 states and six union territories administered by the federal government.
In 1960, the former British presidency of Bombay was divided into two states: Gujarat with Gujarati as its main language and Maharashtra, including Bombay, with Marathi as official language.
In 1966, Haryana, with Hindi as its main language, was separated from Punjab which kept Punjabi as its main language. In 1971, Himachal Pradesh, hitherto a union territory, became a state.
In the North-East, the question had ethnic dimensions. Tensions between the multiple ethnic groups led to the division of the large state of Assam into Nagaland in 1963, Manipur, Tripura and Meghalaya in 1972, Sikkim in 1975, Arunachal Pradesh and Mizoram and Goa in 1987, Uttarakhand, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh in the year 2000.
The Indian government considered geographic factors while dividing states like Madhya Pradesh, known as the “Heart of India” with Bhopal as its capital and Indore as largest city. It is the second-largest state by area and covers 308,252 square kilometres and Uttar Pradesh with over 241 million residents. This state covers 243,286 square kilometres and its capital is Lucknow. Bordered by nine states and union territories as well as Nepal, it is a major cultural, economic and political hub in the country.
The map of South India was redrawn on linguistic lines, while Telangana and Andhra were created keeping the cultural factors in view.
In 2014, Andhra Pradesh with state capital Amaravati was divided into two to form a new state of Telangana. In 1956, Hyderabad state was dissolved and Andhra State was merged with the Telangana region of the state of Hyderabad to form the state of Andhra Pradesh. Hyderabad serves as the capital city of Telangana.
Goa officially became the 25th state of India in 1987, established largely on historical grounds. It was liberated from Portuguese rule in December 1961, having been colonised in 1510 and remained under Lisbon’s control for over 450 years.
Some of these states were formed through division or annexation to cater to the needs of its growing population in a more efficient way, and to curb/control insurgencies and separatist movements, particularly the Bhindranwala Movement of Sikhs in mid-eighties.
India has, therefore, successfully addressed the demand for new states, countering the lack of political representation, economic disparity and development-related hurdles to some extent.
Having similar Westminster bicameral legislative models in place for the last 79 years, India and Pakistan hold a striking resemblance in ethnic and linguistic diversity, but policy makers in New Delhi have considered multiple parameters for the creation of new states without much fuss, protests or fiery debates.
Similarly, oil-rich Nigeria has increased the number of its administrative units from 12 in 1974 to 36 states and one Federal Capital Territory. Now Indonesia has 35 standard provinces, two special regions (Aceh and Yogyakarta) and the special capital district of Jakarta.
Bangladesh increased the number of divisions from 4 to 8 and Turkiye from 67 to 81 provinces.
In Turkiye’s case, provinces were based on historical regions, though new demarcations have been made based on regional administrative needs primarily.
Basically, Turkiye organised and adjusted its provincial boundaries on practical administrative and local governance requirements rather than giving priority to purely rigid historical lines. And the country is on its way to have 100 provinces and 1,000 districts in a few years from now, up from the present 81 administrative units and 973 districts.
Remapping the country has thus enabled the Turkish government to roll out selective regional industrial incentives to balance economic development across different terrains. Smaller units allowed Ankara to roll out better local resources, and rulers at helm targeted regional investments and closer monitoring of infrastructure and provision of basic civic amenities.
In Pakistan, the province of Punjab alone hosts 56 per cent of the country’s population, while Balochistan accounts for a meagre 5 per cent, all of which has led to a visibly uneven resource distribution and unfair political representation in the national legislative houses.
Pakistan’s four provinces are today divided on the ethno-linguistic divisions of the then British Empire, where districts and regions on the peripheries/borders of each are the poorest, most under-developed and rank the lowest on the Human Development Index.
Poverty, shortage of cheaper transport and massive travelling distances have made it extremely uphill for the populace residing on the fringes of these four provinces to reach provincial capitals to benefit for state services. Court and land-related issues remain unresolved for decades, leading to blood-soaked enmities, acrimonies, deprivation and deep-rooted grievances in remote areas that are already lacking basic education and health facilities. Local justice systems, brutal and unjust in many ways, are being controlled by strong feudal lords, who themselves reach assemblies and lead lavish lives with none having the power or audacity to question.
It is imperative to note that while a simple majority in parliament and consultation with the affected state assembly is required in India to redraw boundaries, creating a new province in Pakistan requires a complex constitutional amendment passed by a two-thirds majority in both houses of parliament.
And it is also mandatory to have a resolution passed from the concerned provincial assembly. With a population of about 250 million, governing large expanses of geography has become extremely challenging for every provincial government, but politicians neither want devolution of power through local governments nor do they want to see areas under their control splitting into smaller governable units.
