ISLAMABAD(National Times)- Amid the ongoing debate over the creation of new provinces and the PPP\u2019s outright rejection of the proposal, President Asif Ali Zardari\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While some believe the president travelled to Lon\u00addon solely for a medical check-up, others view the visit as a political move aimed at putting pressure on the government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
An official video clip of Mr Naqvi\u2019s meeting with President Zardari also generated discussion about the president\u2019s position. After all, it was the interior minister who ignited the fresh debate through his diatribe about the collapse of the existing governance sys\u00adtem, and called for a \u2018reset\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Following his London sojourn, Mr Naqvi rece\u00adntly doubled down on his dem\u00adand for new administrative units. Addressing a National Policy Dia\u00adlogue on \u2018Devol\u00adution of Powers and Good Governance in Pakistan\u2019 at the University of Management and Tech\u00adn\u00ado\u00adlogy on Saturday, Mr Naqvi clarified that his proposed \u201creset\u201d 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2018Apolitical\u2019 trip<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The president\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The sequence of events has led to speculation that the PPP\u2019s position was discussed during the London meetings and that the Sindh Assembly resolution was adopted with the president\u2019s consent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The issue of President Zardari\u2019s \u2018Euro trip\u2019 and his meeting with the interior minister and Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar was also raised at last week\u2019s Foreign Office briefing. However, the FO spokesperson did not respond, instead referring the question to the Presidency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When contacted, President Zardari\u2019s spokesperson Murtaza Solangi told Dawn he was unaware of the details of the president\u2019s visit, or when he would return to the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt is solely a private visit. I never seek details of his private visits,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Responding to a question about Mr Zardari\u2019s meeting with Mr Naqvi, he said the interior minister had maintained a close association with the president for a long time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThere was nothing serious if the minister met Zardari sahib to inquire about his health,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Another PPP source, however, confirmed that the president\u2019s visit had reasons beyond his medical treatment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
PPP leaders meet Zardari<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cPresident 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,\u201d the source said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to the source, the PPP had initially agreed in principle to the creation of two new provinces in Punjab \u2014 south Punjab and Bahawalpur \u2014 but changed its position after the government began considering the creation of new federating units in all four existing provinces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The party subsequently opposed the broader proposal, and has recently questioned Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif\u2019s silence on the politically sensitive issue of creating new provinces and sought a clear position from him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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\u2019s four existing provinces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If the PPP withdraws that support, imp\u00adlementing any constitutional amendment aimed at creating new provinces would become considerably more difficult.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
IPP chief slams govt<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Adding to the growing criticism from within the ruling coalition, Comm\u00aduni\u00adcations 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In a message on X, Mr Khan said people remained deprived of basic facilities while their hardships were increasing day by day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIf the provinces were delivering effectively under the existing system, why would the people be in such a condition?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
ISLAMABAD(National Times)- Amid the ongoing debate over the creation of new provinces and the PPP\u2019s outright rejection of the proposal, President Asif Ali Zardari\u2019s 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. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":132638,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-132637","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-latest_news","entry"],"yoast_head":"\n