PPP demands clarity from PM over new provinces
Nayyar Bokhari: says constitutional process and provincial consent are necessary Rana Sanaullah: says no bill, resolution or preparations for new provinces are currently underway
ISLAMABAD: The PPP, an important ally of the PML-N-led coalition government, has questioned Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s silence on the ongoing debate about creating new provinces and asked him to clearly state his position.
The PPP has previously said that any move to create new provinces must follow the procedure given in the Constitution. However, the PPP-led Sindh government recently got a resolution passed by the Sindh Assembly opposing any further division of the country’s existing four provinces.
On Friday, PML-N leader and Adviser to the Prime Minister on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah also said that no preparations were currently being made to create new provinces.
Last month, during a session of the National Assembly, PPP lawmaker Agha Rafiullah asked Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to come to the assembly and give a policy statement on the issue.
Speaking to Dawn on Friday, PPP Parliamentary Secretary General Nayyar Hussain Bokhari again asked the prime minister to clarify his position.
The debate over creating new provinces has continued for the past few months. However, there has been no official confirmation about who proposed the idea or what any proposed plan would look like. Some ruling-party leaders and federal cabinet members have publicly supported the idea, including in parliament.
Media reports have mentioned proposals for creating anywhere from eight to 30 provinces, but the government has not officially announced any such plan.
“We want to know the prime minister’s position on new provinces because he has not made any statement, while several federal cabinet members appear to support the idea,” Mr Bokhari said.
He said the issue was very serious and had created concern among the existing provinces, yet the prime minister had remained silent.
Mr Bokhari said that if the government was seriously considering creating more provinces, the issue should first be discussed in the federal cabinet. After that, the prime minister should consult all stakeholders and political parties.
He pointed out that consultations among the government and political parties continued for months during the drafting of the 1973 Constitution. Similarly, discussions before the passage of the 18th Constitutional Amendment continued for more than a year.
Speaking to a private news channel on Friday, Mr Bokhari said the consent of the provinces would be necessary to create new federating units. He added that the move would require a constitutional amendment, which would have to be approved by a two-thirds majority in both the National Assembly and the Senate.
The PML-N-led government has a two-thirds majority in the National Assembly with the support of the PPP. Therefore, if the PPP withdrew its support, the government would not be able to move forward with the plan.
