Governance key to Pakistan’s transformation, not just policy debate: Ahsan Iqbal

ISLAMABAD, Mar 27 (APP): Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal on Friday 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.
He was addressing a high-level policy dialogue titled “Strengthening Governance: Lessons and Pathways from SNG-II,” jointly organized by United Nations Development Programme Pakistan (UNDP) and Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI), said a press release.
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.
Felicitating SDPI for conducting an important evidence-based evaluation exercise, the minister said Pakistan does not lack plans but suffers from weaknesses in implementation, policies and institutions. “Governance is not a technical discussion for seminars alone; it is the difference between plans that move forward and files that gather dust,” he remarked.
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.
Highlighting Pakistan’s current regional and economic challenges, 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 emphasized that business-as-usual approaches must be replaced with proactive system-wide reforms.
Referring to the 18th amendment to the Constitution, 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 utilization to measurable outcomes and emphasized the need for transparent public finance management and resource mobilization rather than development cuts.
The minister said reforms cannot be delivered by government alone and require coordinated efforts by think tanks, development partners and civil society. “Pakistan’s challenge is converting potential into performance, and that is only possible through governance,” he concluded, urging stakeholders to translate evidence into actionable reforms.
Speaking earlier, Samuel Rizk, Resident Representative of UNDP Pakistan, appreciated SDPI’s role in evaluating governance reforms and noted that governance is often not prioritized in the shrinking global development space despite its central importance for sustainable development outcomes.
He 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.
He also emphasized linking national development projects more closely with governance reforms and appreciated the continued support of the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) as well as SDPI’s leadership in conducting the independent evaluation.
Earlier, 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.
He linked the consultation with the recent Pakistan Governance Forum under the URAAN programme, noting that the present dialogue complemented macro-level discussions with provincial-level insights. He described successful provincial initiatives as “islands of success” that can contribute significantly to national development when scaled effectively.
Dr. Abid Qaiyum Suleri also highlighted Pakistan’s broader governance challenges including engagement with the International Monetary Fund, fiscal constraints and energy sector pressures, stressing that addressing these issues requires collective national effort involving federal and provincial governments as well as development partners.
Speaking on the occasion, Van Nguyen, Deputy Resident Representative UNDP Pakistan, said the SNG-II programme represents a strong partnership between the Government of Pakistan, the United Kingdom through FCDO and UNDP to strengthen institutions responsible for planning, coordination and service delivery at the provincial level.
She said the independent evaluation conducted by SDPI provides a robust evidence base to guide the next generation of governance reforms and highlighted UNDP’s work in strengthening public financial management, digital governance systems, climate-responsive planning and accountability mechanisms across Pakistan.
Matt Klensey, Group Head at FCDO, appreciated SDPI’s comprehensive evaluation report and noted that SNG-II delivered significant institutional reforms in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, particularly in planning systems, digitization of PC-1 workflows, strengthening audit mechanisms, pension reforms and improvements in integrated budgeting processes.
He said innovations such as GIS-based mapping tools and local government financial reporting systems helped strengthen transparency and administrative efficiency, while embedded technical assistance and reform working groups played a key role in sustaining reform momentum despite political and administrative transitions.
Presenting key findings of the evaluation, Irfan Chattha of SDPI emphasized the importance of retaining technical expertise at district level, strengthening statutory backing for reforms through administrative notifications and enhancing coordination with provincial IT boards to sustain digital governance initiatives.
He also highlighted the need to institutionalize gender and climate budget tagging frameworks, strengthen internal audit functions, improve pension reforms and expand peer-to-peer learning among districts to ensure long-term sustainability of governance improvements.
Governance expert Suleiman Ghani stressed that future governance programmes should be firmly aligned with broader government reform strategies to enhance ownership and sustainability, noting that provincial ownership appeared relatively stronger in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa compared to Punjab.
The consultation concluded that innovations such as embedded technical support, reform working groups and digital governance tools under SNG-II offer practical lessons for strengthening sub-national governance systems and improving service delivery outcomes across Pakistan.