Adviser to the Prime Minister on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah on Saturday said Pakistan could hold a referendum on creating new provinces.
He said the referendum would take place if a joint session of parliament approves it.
Speaking to journalists in Lahore, Sanaullah said parliament was the best forum to discuss the creation of new provinces.
His remarks echoed Federal Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Tariq Fazal Chaudhry. He had said parliament would hold a debate on the creation of new provinces in October.
PML-N Yet to Finalise Position
“The matter of new provinces has not yet been brought before the cabinet,” Sanaullah said.
He added that his party, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), was still consulting on its position.
Sanaullah said the PML-N would issue its policy statement once the matter reached parliament.
“The matter of whether provinces should be created or not has to be decided by parliament,” he added.
The PML-N leader said the debate would move in a better direction once it reached parliament.
He said all political parties would then present their positions.
“Parliamentary decisions will be accepted by all parties,” he added.
Sanaullah said the PML-N would also consider the views of its district and union council workers.
PML-N, PPP Tensions Ease
Sanaullah also claimed that tensions between the PML-N and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) had eased considerably.
The two parties had developed differences during the recent Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly elections.
“Things between the PPP and PML-N will be resolved in a better manner,” Sanaullah said.
He also said the PML-N wanted petroleum product prices to come down.
Sanaullah urged Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) to postpone its proposed long march by one or two weeks.
He expressed hope that the JI’s long march would remain peaceful.
Without naming Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Sanaullah said another political party’s planned long march would not be peaceful.
“Law enforcement agencies have a duty to stop those whose intentions were not peaceful. Political parties should adopt a political approach; otherwise they will suffer,” he added.
Sanaullah Links Prices to US-Iran War
The PML-N leader linked rising prices to the ongoing war between the United States and Iran.
He said Pakistan was not responsible for the increase in prices.
Sanaullah also criticised Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi’s recent speeches and statements.
He said Naqvi’s discussions on various forums had not brought any improvement.
Debate Over New Provinces
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi ignited the debate in July.
Naqvi said Pakistan’s governance system had “collapsed”. He called for fundamental reforms.
He argued that Pakistan should create new administrative units and devolve greater powers to lower levels.
Naqvi later stood by his assessment that the system had been “completely destroyed”.
However, he clarified that he referred to deterioration over the past 80 years rather than any particular government.
On September 5, Naqvi said people should decide whether Pakistan needed new administrative units.
He described the situation as requiring a system reset.
“Reset does not mean breaking down the system. Reset means making wrongs right,” he said.
Naqvi added that work on new administrative units would only proceed with public support.
The debate later widened after Planning and Development Minister Ahsan Iqbal called for a national discussion on Pakistan’s administrative structure.
Iqbal also proposed creating 12 to 15 provinces.
Joint Opposition Plans APC
Meanwhile, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan on Friday announced that the joint opposition would soon hold an All Parties Conference (APC).
The conference will discuss the creation of new provinces in the country.
Gohar made the announcement after a delegation-level meeting with Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Fazalur Rehman at his residence.
He said the “joint opposition platform” would help opposition parties consult on assembly sessions and matters concerning prisoners.
Gohar said he and the JUI-F chief had previously discussed forming a joint opposition.
He added that they had reached an agreement on the issue in both the Senate and National Assembly.
Gohar described the first meeting as encouraging and said consultations would continue.
He also said the opposition had not yet received an invitation to join the proposed long march.
However, the opposition parties discussed participation in the APC.
