ISLAMABAD: The opposition on Monday warned the government against making any hasty decision on the creation of new provinces, calling for political and public consensus before taking up the issue.
Speaking to reporters, acting Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan said dividing any of the four provinces without the consent of their residents and elected representatives could create further complications rather than resolve governance problems.
He said the proposal should first be examined by a commission and then debated by parliament and the provincial assemblies before any decision was taken.
READ MORE: Naqvi says decision on new provinces must reflect public will
“Let a consensus be formed first,” he said, citing the broad political agreement that preceded the passage of the 18th Constitutional Amendment in 2010 as an example of how major constitutional matters should be handled.
Gohar said the next parliament should ultimately take up the issue and seek consensus among political parties before any province was divided.
“Making any hasty decision, in our opinion, will be against the federation’s unity,” he said.
He warned that creating provinces on grounds rejected by local populations and without political agreement could aggravate the governance problems the proposal was intended to address.
He also urged the government to avoid what he described as further “experimental trials” and controversial legislation.
Separately talking to reporters, the opposition leader in Senate Allama Raja Nasir Abbas also questioned the timing of the proposal, saying the issue had not been discussed in parliament or the provincial assemblies.
“Why is the issue of creating new provinces or administrative units being raised when no discussion has been held? From whom is this proposal,” he questioned.
Abbas, who is also a senior leader of Tehreek-e-Tahaffuz-e-Aain-e-Pakistan (TTAP), an opposition alliance that also includes the PTI, said the PML-N’s party policy was silent on the creation of new provinces.
He called on the government to bring all political parties together and develop a collective position on the matter, which he described as a dangerous move.
“The opposition would also support them for constitutional supremacy and Pakistan’s stability,” he said.
Abbas also questioned whether any existing provincial assembly had passed a resolution seeking the creation of a new province, as required under the constitutional procedure.
“This matter has not been raised in parliament. We do not consider it our issue,” he said.
Instead of creating new provinces, Abbas called for strengthening local governments and ensuring free and fair elections, arguing that governance problems should first be addressed at the grassroots level.
The debate over new provinces gained momentum in late July after Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi called for the creation of new administrative units as part of reforms to the country’s governance structure.
The proposal has since exposed differences within the federal coalition and prompted calls from opposition parties for broader political consultation before any constitutional or administrative changes are pursued.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026
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