Pakistan’s Peoples Party, a key ally in the ruling coalition, has pressed Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for his position on creating new provinces, while a senior aide to the premier insisted no such bill or resolution is currently under consideration.
PPP Presses for Constitutional Process
PPP Parliamentarians Secretary General Nayyar Hussain Bokhari said any move to create additional federating units must follow the procedure laid down in the Constitution, and that the consent of the provinces is essential for carving out new ones, according to Dawn. He noted that consultations preceding the 18th Constitutional Amendment took more than a year, arguing a similarly serious process would be needed for any new provinces.
The Sindh government, which is run by the PPP, has already had a resolution passed by the provincial assembly opposing any further division of the country’s existing four provinces.
Rana Sanaullah Denies Active Preparations
PML-N leader and Adviser to the Prime Minister on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah said on Friday that no bill or resolution on new provinces had been presented in parliament, and that consultation and consensus among political parties would be required before any such measure could move forward, the Nation reported.
Sanaullah said there was currently no discussion taking place regarding the division of existing provinces, pushing back on speculation that the government was quietly advancing the idea.
Debate Follows Renewed Calls for New Units
The exchange comes weeks after Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi renewed calls for political parties to seriously consider creating new administrative units, telling an economic summit in Islamabad that the country’s problems could not be solved under its current structure, according to Dawn.
Bokhari has separately argued that new provinces cannot be created through executive order, and would instead require a two thirds majority in the relevant provincial assembly as well as in the National Assembly and Senate.
The debate over new provinces has resurfaced periodically for years, with proponents arguing smaller administrative units would improve governance in Pakistan’s largest and most populous provinces, while opponents warn the process could deepen ethnic and regional tensions if not handled carefully. Analysts say any serious push would require sustained cross party negotiation given the constitutional supermajority threshold involved.
