Moderates demand more autonomy for the country's people by forming the earlier proposed 19 states through a 19th constitutional amendment. Elaborating this proposal, Syed Jawaid Iqbal, Chairman Moderates said "The repercussions of the renaming of NWFP as Khyber-Pakhtunkwa have proved to be a catalyst for the simmering desire of the people for more autonomy, which we at Moderates deem manageable and desirable."
He remarked that the model of states is nothing new and is being successfully practiced all over the world in different forms. A recent example for us is India, which was forced into re-organising the country along ethnic and linguistic lines as the people refused to accept the administrative states established under the British Raj.
Commenting on the current situation, Jawaid said that some headway has been made by the current government in this direction through the seventh National Finance Commission awards, which ensured a more considerate and need-based division of resources among the provinces. "However, similar steps need to be taken from administrative point of view as people want a more sympathetic and approachable local government to promptly address their issues. Smaller states will ensure better governance and economic development as the head will be more aware of and focused on the problems of its people."
He proposed further sub-dividing the country into smaller, more cohesive states instead of indiscreet provincial division whose imminent failure is more than visible now. He further added that the way forward is a dialogue with all the political parties to understand their issues objectively and chalk out a plan for this transition incorporating their suggestions.-PR