Lahore (Web Desk): Adviser to Prime Minister on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah said on Saturday that any decision regarding the formation of new provinces would ultimately rest with Parliament.
The discussion over creating additional provinces gained momentum in late July after Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi advocated the establishment of new administrative units as part of broader reforms to improve the country’s governance structure.
His comments, however, drew criticism and differing views from several members of the government.
Speaking to the media in Lahore, Sanaullah was asked about Naqvi’s recent statement that Pakistan would eventually need new administrative units because its expanding population and evolving requirements could no longer be efficiently handled under the existing system.
Responding to the remarks, the PML-N leader said discussions of such a major constitutional and administrative issue at business conferences or seminars had so far failed to produce any meaningful progress.
Sanaullah said the debate should ideally have been initiated in Parliament rather than being confined to speeches, social media discussions, seminars or business gatherings. He maintained that Parliament would ultimately determine the outcome of the matter.
He said the issue could be handled more effectively if political parties, along with the leadership of all provinces, sat together and held a comprehensive discussion.
The prime minister’s adviser made it clear that the creation of any new province would require a decision by Parliament and would not be determined elsewhere.
Sanaullah also pointed out that Naqvi himself had linked the creation of new provinces to public demand.
He said that if the people wanted a new province, no one could prevent it, but determining whether there was genuine public support was a matter that had to be addressed through Parliament.
He added that the PML-N was currently considering the issue and would announce its position after taking part in the broader debate and once the discussion reached a stage where a concrete outcome could be achieved.
According to Sanaullah, no federal minister had formally brought the matter before the federal cabinet so far. He said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif would give the necessary directions once the issue was taken up for discussion.
He further explained that even if the government opted to conduct a referendum to determine public opinion, parliamentary approval would still be necessary.
Sanaullah said the PML-N was not required to announce its position simply because the issue had been raised at economic or business forums. Commenting on the Sindh Assembly’s resolution opposing any division of Sindh, he said the Pakistan Peoples Party had reacted excessively to the issue.
Turning to relations between the PPP and PML-N, Sanaullah said the differences that had recently strained ties between the two coalition partners had largely been addressed.
Sanaullah, who is also part of the core committees established to resolve disputes between the PPP and PML-N, said after attending a meeting at the Governor House that any outstanding matters would also be resolved through mutual understanding, as both parties remained committed to settling their differences.
He said the core committees were ideally supposed to meet once every month, but their regular meetings had been disrupted because of elections in Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
He expressed hope that the committees would now meet more frequently to address both existing and emerging issues between the coalition partners.
The adviser attributed much of the recent tension to emotionally charged election campaigns in Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Kashmir, saying that with those campaigns now concluded, the political friction had also eased.
The PPP, which governs Sindh and remains an important coalition partner of the PML-N at the federal level, has strongly rejected proposals to separate Karachi from the province and establish it as a new province.
Meanwhile, PML-N leader Khawaja Asif had also said last week that Parliament was the proper platform for debating the creation of new provinces, while describing greater devolution of authority as unavoidable.
Opposition parties, including the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, have announced plans to consult with other political groups over convening an all-parties conference.
The proposed discussions are expected to cover a range of national issues, including new provinces, the law and order situation and the country’s economic challenges.
Asked about planned marches toward Islamabad by Jamaat-e-Islami on September 20 and PTI on September 27, Sanaullah said JI’s previous political activities had generally remained peaceful, whereas he did not expect the same approach from the PTI.
He said JI was a political party that had historically conducted its activities within constitutional and legal boundaries.
Sanaullah added that the government respected the right to political protest and had therefore engaged in negotiations with JI representatives, during which their demands were heard with seriousness and attention.
The prime minister’s adviser also called on JI leaders not to put unnecessary strain on themselves, saying that the PML-N government and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif were equally interested in reducing fuel prices and electricity bills, and wanted such relief at least as much as, if not more than, the JI.
However, Sanaullah said the government did not expect the PTI’s planned long march to remain peaceful, citing statements made by the party’s leaders in connection with the protest.