Naqvi vows not to back down from demand for new provinces, says decision must reflect public will

Says his remarks calling for 'reset' were not directed at any political party

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Saturday said he would continue to support the creation of new provinces and administrative units, regardless of whether he remained in office, stressing that any such decision should ultimately be based on the will of the people and not emotions.

“Whether I remain in office or not, I will not back down from this,” Naqvi said, referring to the demand for new provinces that has taken traction for the past few weeks, adding that the will of the people holds more importance than the will of those in office.

Speaking at an event titled National Policy Dialogue in Lahore, Naqvi also urged the political actors and some factions of the public not to become overly reactive, saying, “Do not get emotional about the issue. This is not something that is going to happen tomorrow or the day after.”

Highlighting the importance of new administrative units to ensure holistic development across the country, Naqvi questioned whether provinces had cities comparable to Lahore in Punjab, Karachi in Sindh, Peshawar in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Quetta in Balochistan in terms of their administrative and economic significance.

Read: MQM-P has not backed away from demand for new provinces, says Mustafa Kamal

“If new administrative units are necessary for the betterment of the people, and the people also want them, then there should be no obstacle to their creation,” he said.

The interior minister stressed that the creation of new provinces would have to be carried out within the framework of the Constitution. He asserted that the decision should not be imposed by any government or political party, but should reflect the wishes of the people.

“If the people of Pakistan want new administrative units, these should be created. Otherwise not.”

Clarifying his earlier remarks calling for a “reset”, the interior minister said his comments were not directed at any political party or arrangement.

“I was talking about resetting the system that has been in place since 1979,” he elaborated.

Naqvi vowed to continue raising his voice for the creation of new administrative units regardless of his political standing.

“I may or may not remain in this job, but I will not back down from this issue, whatever the consequences may be,” he reiterated.

The minister also said he was a strong advocate of making Islamabad a province. He pointed out that Islamabad was the only city in Pakistan that did not receive a budget and that the Capital Development Authority (CDA) was managing the system by selling land.

The minister also criticised the state of education in the country, saying that even a fifth-grader was sometimes unable to read simple sentences and that only mayors could solve the issues faced at the grassroots level, thereby urging devolution of power for all-encompassing development.

 

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