PTI’s Gohar backs establishment of new provinces amid ongoing debate

• PTI Chairman Gohar calls new provinces “necessity”.
• Any such move must be backed by two-thirds majority: Gohar.
• Sindh CM Murad firmly rejects idea of dividing province.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Barrister Gohar Khan on Thursday backed the establishment of new provinces, saying the country needed them but that broad consensus and a two-thirds majority in the assemblies would be required for their creation.

Speaking on Geo News programme ‘Capital Talk’, Gohar said new provinces were a necessity but emphasised that any such move must be backed by a two-thirds majority in the relevant assemblies.

He also expressed doubt that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif would be able to complete his five-year term.

The debate over new provinces was triggered by Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, who said at an event last week that Pakistan’s existing governance system had “collapsed” and was no longer capable of addressing the country’s challenges, calling for administrative reforms including the creation of new administrative units.

“The system we are living under has collapsed. Problems cannot be solved through it,” he said, adding that the country would continue to face the same challenges over the next decade unless fundamental reforms were introduced.

A day earlier, Naqvi rejected the impression that he had issued a charge sheet against the government, saying he himself was part of the administration and would not indict his own government.

Speaking to Geo News exclusively, he said the existing system was not going anywhere and would complete its full constitutional term of five years.

Referring to his earlier remarks about governance, Naqvi said he still stood by his statement that the country’s system had been “completely destroyed,” clarifying that he was referring to the deterioration of the system over the past 80 years.

He said if the system had functioned properly over the decades, Pakistan would have made far greater progress. Naqvi rejected the impression that he had issued a charge sheet against the government, saying he himself was part of the administration and would not indict his own government.

Commenting on speculation about differences with the premier, Naqvi said some people wished to see his relationship with PM Shehbaz deteriorate, but dismissed such notions.

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While the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) has flat out rejected the idea, Naqvi’s own colleagues — including Defence Minister Khawaja Asif and PM’s adviser Rana Sanaullah — have also not shown any support for the notion.

Speaking to journalists earlier in the day, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah firmly rejected the idea of dividing the province, saying the Constitution already provided a procedure for creating new provinces — requiring a two-thirds majority resolution from the provincial assembly concerned.

He said the Sindh Assembly had repeatedly and unanimously passed resolutions opposing any division of the province.

“If there is ever a change in this position — which does not appear likely — then the matter can be discussed,” he said.

Separately, Sanaullah distanced the government from Naqvi’s remarks, saying they “made no sense” and that he could not understand what the minister intended to convey.

“It is for Mohsin Naqvi to take responsibility for what he intended to say,” Sanaullah said, adding that Naqvi’s comments reflected his personal opinion.

“It appears he wanted to make a broader point by playing it down, but failed to express it properly. Once the statement was made, one part of what he said did not match another. I still do not understand what he was saying or why he said it,” he added.

Sanaullah confirmed that PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif had instructed Naqvi not to respond further on the matter, and that he also had serious objections to Naqvi’s tone. He said Naqvi had met the prime minister and believed his remarks had come up in that meeting. “The prime minister can question any member of his cabinet,” he said.

Sanaullah stressed that the Constitution already provided a procedure for creating smaller provinces and administrative units, and that parliament should hold a debate on the matter before any decision was taken. He recalled that during PML-N’s tenure in Punjab from 2013 to 2018, he had personally moved resolutions for establishing a commission and creating two provinces in Punjab.

He said a national commission would need to be constituted to decide issues related to new provinces, covering financial arrangements, representation in the National Assembly, provincial assemblies and the Senate.

He described the issue as complex and said Pakistan could adopt either a system of smaller provinces, a strong local government system, or both — but that political parties would have to make the final decision.

Sanaullah dismissed reports that the establishment had set any deadline for creating new administrative units, saying “no deadline has been given and no such discussion has taken place,” calling such claims “stories and fabrications.”