The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), a key ally of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) at the federal level, on Friday recommended halting further discussions on the creation of new administrative units. This response came after Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi highlighted the collapse of Pakistan’s current governance system and emphasized the need for administrative reforms, including the establishment of new units.
Naqvi stated at an event in Islamabad that the existing system is ineffective in resolving the country’s problems and warned that without change, the same issues would persist for another decade. He urged moving towards administrative units, whether called provinces or by any other name. Later, he told journalists that the efforts of Chief of Army Staff and Chief of Defence Forces, Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, would not produce lasting results unless political parties collaborated to reform governance.
In a significant development, PPP Vice President Sherry Rehman, speaking on a televised program, advised against pursuing the debate on administrative units further. She pointed out that no concrete proposals had been presented to her party and emphasized that the timing was not appropriate for such discussions. Rehman stressed the importance of addressing governance issues through political means rather than structural changes.
Meanwhile, State Minister for Interior Tallal Chaudhry supported Naqvi’s stance, noting that political consensus is essential for any effective solution. He highlighted Naqvi’s role in advocating for system improvements and questioned the performance of provinces following the 18th Amendment, which devolved powers from the federal government to the provinces. Chaudhry remarked that apart from Punjab, no other province has demonstrated significant progress.
Chaudhry further clarified that the call for new provinces is rooted in the pursuit of better governance. He reiterated that PML-N has consistently supported the creation of new provinces if it leads to improved administration. him, the formation of new provinces should be contingent on governance outcomes rather than political motives.
