Mian Amer Mahmood Calls for Urgent Reforms and New Provinces

Punjab Group Chairman Mian Amer Mahmood has delivered a scathing critique of Pakistan’s governance system, declaring that despite decades of changing rulers and parties, “nothing has really changed.” Speaking at an APSUP awareness session at Riphah University, he highlighted shocking statistics: 25 million children remain out of school, nearly 70% of grade seven students cannot read grade two books, and 44% of children suffer from malnutrition.

Mahmood warned that the future of Pakistan is in danger, with many young people soon incapable of becoming part of the workforce. He slammed failures in healthcare, pointing out that despite huge spending, “a critically ill person goes to a government hospital only to die,” while justice in murder cases can take 16–18 years, destroying both victims’ and killers’ families.

He said the system is so rotten that it is impossible to reform it from within. With Punjab’s population at 127 million—comparable to some of the world’s largest countries—he argued that Pakistan’s four provinces are unmanageable. He proposed that every division should become a province, each with its own chief minister to provide education, healthcare, and jobs locally.

“Until governance is brought down to the grassroots, Pakistan will keep failing while the rest of the world progresses,” Mahmood emphasized.