President Asif Ali Zardari has decided to cut short his visit to London and will return to Pakistan on September 8. Initially, he had planned to stay in the British capital for an additional three to four days but chose to come back earlier to address the escalating political situation and the intensifying debate surrounding the creation of new provinces and administrative units.
The discussion gained momentum following Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal’s proposal to divide Pakistan into 12 to 15 provinces, urging a national political dialogue to restructure the country’s administrative framework. The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), a crucial ally of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), has firmly opposed any division of Sindh. The party insists that the formation of new provinces must follow constitutional procedures, secure political consensus, and have public backing.
President Zardari arrived in London from Vienna on September 1 after spending five days in Austria on a private visit. He was accompanied by former federal minister Dr. Asim Hussain and Senator Saleem Mandviwalla. Two days later, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Bakhtawar Bhutto Zardari joined him in London. Both are expected to remain in the UK for about another week and will not return with the president.
Bilawal arrived from Paris after a stay in Austria, while Bakhtawar traveled to London with her husband, Mahmood Chaudhry, and their children. The family’s time in Austria sparked rumors that President Zardari had gone there to discuss a potential marriage proposal for Bilawal with a notable European family. Bilawal strongly denied these claims, stating no engagement or marriage had occurred and that he was unfamiliar with any “Princess Gloria.” He added that any announcements regarding his personal life would come from his family.
