Parliament to debate new provinces next month, says minister

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Tariq Fazal Chaudhry said on Thursday that parliament was expected to debate the issue of new provinces next month.

Addressing the corporate sector in late July, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi had called for the creation of new provinces or administrative units, saying that the current system had “collapsed”.

“There is no National Assembly session this month; however, sessions of both the National Assembly and Senate are expected in October. The discussions will be held whenever the sessions are convened,” the minister said in a video statement.

Chaudhry reiterated that parliament was the “proper forum” for debating the issue of forming new provinces, adding that the debate would definitely be initiated.

“Parliament can hold a debate on any topic — the National Assembly has representation from all four provinces, while the Senate has equal representation from each province. Every decision made here would be taken after consultations with all political parties,” Chaudhry said.

He also expressed hope that a “healthy discussion” would be held on the topic during the upcoming session.

Chaudhry elaborated that the discussion on forming new provinces or federating units was not a debate about “inheriting fortunes”, while advising political parties against taking an emotional stance on the issue.

“I am hopeful that before making a decision on forming new provinces or administrative units in the provinces, we will bring forward Islamabad’s governance model as a formal act.

“While maintaining the federal status of Islamabad, we will form Islamabad’s first legislative assembly,” he stated.

He clarified that Islamabad could not become a province and was not going to be made a separate province. “We are talking about improving its governance model by upholding its federal status.”

The minister said the draft proposing governance changes — including a legislative body with all relevant institutions under the supervision of a chief executive or mayor in Islamabad — had been prepared by a five-member committee appointed by the prime minister.

“It is a very simple model. We did not prepare this draft with any personal contrivance; it was prepared after studying existing governance models in various capitals around the world and their applicable plans,” he added.

Chaudhry maintained that he was in contact with other political parties. “I will sit with them, share the draft and hold consultations, and all the positive recommendations will be incorporated into the draft.”

Islamabad’s bar, chamber of commerce, residents and intellectuals would also be consulted, he added.

In July, Naqvi had proposed a dialogue among all political parties to bring about reforms to the current governance system, while also calling for new provinces and urgent administrative reforms.

His comments had ignited an animated debate across the country, with the PPP referring the question to its top decision-making forum, the Sindh chief minister flatly rejecting it, Lahore’s lawyers terming it unconstitutional and Sindhi nationalist groups demanding the minister’s resignation.