New provinces not unconstitutional: KamalPakistan

Speaking about the population, the minister said that by 2030 Pakistan would become the fourth largest country in the world by population, and that no government could provide jobs to such a large population. He said governments around the world focused on skilling people so they could contribute to the economy through their abilities.

He noted that overseas Pakistanis send more than 32 billion dollars in remittances every year, and warned that if this money stopped coming, the country’s economy would collapse.

Kamal also said there was a shortage of 900,000 nurses in Pakistan, while skilled nurses abroad earned very good salaries. He said that in the past, people had turned nursing colleges into a business, adding that his ministry had stopped the practice and changed the relevant law.

He said that people associated with allied health services previously had to travel to Islamabad for their work, but the newly opened office in Sindh would now serve as the province’s central office, providing a one-window facility to all concerned institutions.

The minister said the work done during his tenure was more than the work of the past 50 years, but added that much more still needed to be done.

The debate over new provinces has been in the news in recent days, with a survey suggesting that a large majority of Pakistanis favour the creation of new provinces, and parliament being described as the forum that would decide the matter. Kamal’s remarks add a fresh voice to that debate, framing smaller provinces as a constitutional and administrative necessity rather than a political demand.