- Gohar demands consensus before creating new provinces.
- PTI seeks meetings between Imran Khan, Mahmood Achakzai.
- Ahsan Iqbal proposed creating 12 to 15 provinces.
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Barrister Gohar Khan has warned that dividing Sindh without the consent of its people would weaken the federation, calling for broad consultation before any decision on the creation of new provinces.
Speaking to the media outside the Supreme Court on Monday, Gohar said the establishment of new provinces was a serious matter and should not be pursued through controversial legislation or in haste.
The debate over restructuring the country’s administrative map has intensified in recent weeks, with ruling allies the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) appearing divided over the matter.
Last week, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said new administrative units will eventually be created, insisting that no one can stop the process, while reiterating his call for a “reset” of the country’s system.
Similarly, Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal had proposed creating 12 to 15 provinces and called for a national political debate, arguing that the country’s four existing provinces have become increasingly centralised.
The issue has particularly sharpened in Sindh, where opposition to any division of the province has grown alongside competing calls for administrative devolution.
The Sindh Assembly has rejected proposals to alter the province’s boundaries or create new administrative units, while the PPP leadership has reiterated its opposition to any division of Sindh.
In today’s media interaction, Gohar said serious consultation, similar to that undertaken for the 18th Amendment, should precede any decision on creating new provinces.
“Without the consent of the people, if Sindh is divided, the federation will become weaker,” he said.
The PTI chairman said the division of Sindh, Punjab or Balochistan without the consent of their people and elected representatives could create further complications.
“Such experiments should not be conducted in the country,” he said, warning that taking decisions on the creation of provinces in haste would be against the unity of the federation.
On political dialogue, Gohar criticised the federal government, saying that negotiations had previously remained limited to offers and stressed that progress should now be made.
He said Monday is a day for meetings with jailed PTI founder Imran Khan and called for the party’s political leadership and family members to be allowed to meet him.
Imran has remained in prison since August 2023 following convictions he and his party describe as politically motivated. Since his ouster in April 2022 following a no-confidence vote, he has faced multiple legal cases.
Gohar described meetings between Tehreek Tahaffuz-e-Aiyeen Pakistan (TTAP) Chairman Mahmood Khan Achakzai and Vice Chairman Allama Raja Nasir Abbas with the incarcerated former premier as particularly important.
He said Achakzai, who is also the Opposition in the National Assembly, had written to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif over the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) matter, urging the premier to take notice of the letter.
Gohar said Sindh’s people had turned out in large numbers to welcome Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi despite hurdles during his visit and return to Karachi.
A day ago, Afridi arrived in the coastal city accompanied by PTI Sindh President Haleem Adil Sheikh as the party continued its mobilisation campaign in Sindh ahead of a planned nationwide protest on September 27.
The PTI chairman said the enthusiastic reception showed that the public did not want to remain tied to the existing political status quo.
