President’s London tour sets tongues wagging

ISLAMABAD: Amid the ongoing debate over the creation of new provinces and the PPP’s outright rejection of the proposal, President Asif Ali Zardari’s extended presence in London has raised questions about the political dimensions of the tour, particularly when Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, who had recently floated the idea, is also in the UK.

While some believe the president travelled to Lon­don solely for a medical check-up, others view the visit as a political move aimed at putting pressure on the government.

An official video clip of Mr Naqvi’s meeting with President Zardari also generated discussion about the president’s position. After all, it was the interior minister who ignited the fresh debate through his diatribe about the collapse of the existing governance sys­tem, and called for a ‘reset’.

Following his London sojourn, Mr Naqvi rece­ntly doubled down on his dem­and for new administrative units. Addressing a National Policy Dia­logue on ‘Devol­ution of Powers and Good Governance in Pakistan’ at the University of Management and Tech­n­o­logy on Saturday, Mr Naqvi clarified that his proposed “reset” did not mean a change of government or political party, rather a comprehensive review and restructuring of the administrative system to make it responsive to the needs of citizens.

He even called for a debate on granting provincial status to Islamabad, saying residents of the federal capital did not receive a share under the National Finance Commission (NFC) award.

‘Apolitical’ trip

The president’s meeting with the interior minister was followed by gatherings of senior PPP leaders with Mr Zardari in London and, subsequently, the passage of a resolution by the Sindh Assembly rejecting the creation of new provinces.

The sequence of events has led to speculation that the PPP’s position was discussed during the London meetings and that the Sindh Assembly resolution was adopted with the president’s consent.

The issue of President Zardari’s ‘Euro trip’ and his meeting with the interior minister and Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar was also raised at last week’s Foreign Office briefing. However, the FO spokesperson did not respond, instead referring the question to the Presidency.

When contacted, President Zardari’s spokesperson Murtaza Solangi told Dawn he was unaware of the details of the president’s visit, or when he would return to the country.

“It is solely a private visit. I never seek details of his private visits,” he said.

PPP Secretary General Nayyar Hussain Bokhari also maintained that the president had travelled to London only for a medical check-up and that there was nothing political about the trip.

Responding to a question about Mr Zardari’s meeting with Mr Naqvi, he said the interior minister had maintained a close association with the president for a long time.

“There was nothing serious if the minister met Zardari sahib to inquire about his health,” he said.

Another PPP source, however, confirmed that the president’s visit had reasons beyond his medical treatment.

PPP leaders meet Zardari

The source said that PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, Senator Saleem Mandviwalla and Dr Asim Hussain, considered close confidants of the president, also joined him later in the UK.

“President Zardari has conveyed a clear message to the government through passage of a resolution in Sindh Assembly that he and his party ruling in Sindh reject any plan to create new provinces,” the source said.

According to the source, the PPP had initially agreed in principle to the creation of two new provinces in Punjab — south Punjab and Bahawalpur — but changed its position after the government began considering the creation of new federating units in all four existing provinces.

The party subsequently opposed the broader proposal, and has recently questioned Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s silence on the politically sensitive issue of creating new provinces and sought a clear position from him.

The party had initially not opposed the idea of creating additional federating units, but insisted that any such move should be undertaken in accordance with the procedure prescribed by the Constitution.

Now, it is openly opposing the proposal, with the PPP-led Sindh government securing passage of a resolution in the provincial assembly rejecting any further division of the country’s four existing provinces.

The development is politically significant because, although the PML-N-led government enjoys a two-thirds majority in the National Assembly, it relies on PPP support.

If the PPP withdraws that support, imp­lementing any constitutional amendment aimed at creating new provinces would become considerably more difficult.

IPP chief slams govt

Adding to the growing criticism from within the ruling coalition, Comm­uni­cations Minister Abdul Aleem Khan, who belongs to another government ally, the Istehkam-i-Pakistan Party (IPP), also criticised the government on Sunday over what he described as its poor performance.

He said people were not being provided with basic necessities and that no one who genuinely loved the country could be satisfied with the existing system.

Mr Khan pointed to shortages of clean drinking water, deteriorating hospitals and the large number of children deprived of education. He also highlighted the poor condition of schools across the country.

In a message on X, Mr Khan said people remained deprived of basic facilities while their hardships were increasing day by day.

“If the provinces were delivering effectively under the existing system, why would the people be in such a condition?” he asked.

He said there was a need to set aside prejudice and examine the actual condition of the people, arguing that the public was frustrated and deprived of basic amenities.

Published in Dawn, September 7th, 2026