PM's aide tosses new provinces ball into parliament's court

Taking a veiled dig at Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah on Saturday said neither he nor any other individual could unilaterally decide on the creation of new provinces, maintaining that the issue should be decided by parliament - a position that aligns with PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari's stance. Speaking at a news conference in Model Town, Rana said differences between the PPP and PML-N could be resolved through improved coordination and dialogue. The debate over new provinces began in late July when Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi called for the creation of new provinces as part of reforms to the existing governance system, drawing strong reactions from government ministers. He added that statements made by the interior minister on various forums had not helped resolve the issue, stressing that the matter should have been discussed in parliament. "When this debate comes to parliament, all parties will present their positions," he said, adding that the PML-N would participate in the debate on the creation of new provinces and that the prime minister would also speak on the matter. Sanaullah said discussions were still underway within the PML-N to formulate its position on the creation of new provinces. "If I say provinces will be created, or if I say they will not be created, I would be bypassing parliament," he said. The adviser also stressed that Naqvi, in his remarks, had said the creation of new provinces depended on whether the public wanted it. "If the public wants, then no one can stop it. The decision of whether the public wants it or not can only be made in parliament," the PML-N leader said. Sanaullah said his party was deliberating upon the matter and would issue a policy statement after participating in the debate and once it "comes to a proper place where a result could emerge". The PM's aide further said that no minister had raised the matter before the federal cabinet so far, adding that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif would issue the appropriate directives once the topic was discussed. He maintained that the final decision would be taken by parliament alone. He remarked that the PML-N was not "bound" to issue a statement on the topic of new provinces merely based on economic forums. Referring to the Sindh Assembly's adoption of a resolution against dividing the province, Sanaullah said the PPP had "overreacted". Referring to the recent meeting of the PPP and PML-N coordination committees, Rana said senior leaders from both parties had participated in the session, during which the understanding between the two sides was reviewed. "Such a meeting should ideally be held every month, but this meeting took place after two or three months," he said, adding that the leaders also held informal discussions. Rana said tensions between the PPP and PML-N that had emerged during the Azad Jammu and Kashmir elections had considerably eased. On the local government system, Rana said the Punjab Assembly could amend the relevant law if it deemed necessary. He said the legislation had been drafted following detailed deliberations by a committee constituted by former prime minister Nawaz Sharif. Rana also stressed the need to bring local government institutions closer to the people, particularly in major cities. He said their powers could be enhanced if existing local bodies lacked sufficient authority. Rana, who is also president of the PML-N Punjab chapter, earlier chaired a meeting of the party's provincial organisation. The party leadership and workers were congratulated on the PML-N's victory in the Azad Jammu and Kashmir elections, while the meeting also thanked the people of AJK for expressing confidence in the party. The meeting decided to begin preparations for the local government elections in Punjab, while directions were issued to fill vacant organisational positions across the province at the earliest. PML-N office-bearers were directed to start preparations for the elections and intensify public outreach across Punjab. Party office-bearers presented their respective proposals during the meeting. All divisional office-bearers were directed to give priority to loyal and long-serving party workers. A proposal was also presented to give preference in the local government elections to workers who had stood by the party during difficult times. A roadmap for preparations for the local government elections will be finalised and submitted to the party leadership. Organisational office-bearers in all districts of Punjab were directed to become more active, while instructions were issued to launch a vigorous campaign at the divisional, district, tehsil and union council levels. Local government elections in Punjab will be held in phases. The issue of creating new provinces also came under discussion at the PML-N Punjab meeting. The provincial leadership maintained that the debate on new provinces should be held in Parliament. Chaudhry Javed Boota and Mohsin Ranjha were appointed vice presidents of PML-N Punjab, while Sumaira Malik and Hafiz Usman Abbasi were denotified from their positions.