Adviser to the Prime Minister on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah on Saturday said that a referendum on the creation of new provinces will be held if approved by a joint session of parliament.
During his interaction with journalists in Lahore, Sanaullah said that parliament was the best forum for discussing the creation of new provinces.
His remarks echoed those of Federal Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Tariq Fazal Chaudhry, who said that parliamentary debate on the creation of new provinces would be held in October.
“The matter of new provinces has not yet been brought before the cabinet,” Sanaullah said, adding that his party, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), was still consulting on its position over the matter.
He said the PML-N would issue its policy statement when the issue was brought before parliament. “The matter of whether provinces should be created or not has to be decided by parliament,” Sanaullah added.
The PML-N leader said that the issue would move in a better direction once it came before parliament, where all political parties would present their positions. “Parliamentary decisions will be accepted by all parties,” he added.
He said the PML-N would also consider the views of its district and union council workers while finalising its position.
Sanaullah also claimed that tensions between the PML-N and PPP had eased considerably following differences that emerged during the recent Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly elections.
“Things between the PPP and PML-N will be resolved in a better manner,” hoped Sanaullah.
He also said the PML-N wanted petroleum product prices to come down, while urging Jamaat-e-Islami to postpone its proposed long march by one or two weeks.
Sanaullah hoped that the JI’s long march would be peaceful.
Without naming Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), he said that another political party’s planned long march would not be peaceful
“Law enforcement agencies have a duty to stop those whose intentions were not peaceful. Political parties should adopt a political approach; otherwise they will suffer,” he added.
The PML-N leader said rising prices were linked to the ongoing war between the United States and Iran, adding that Pakistan was not responsible for the increase in prices.
Sanaullah said the Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi’s speeches, statements and discussions on various forums had not brought any improvement.
The debate was ignited in July by Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, who said the country’s governance system had “collapsed” and called for fundamental reforms, arguing Pakistan should move toward new administrative units with greater powers devolved to lower levels.
He later stood by his assessment that the system had been “completely destroyed”, while clarifying he was referring to its deterioration over the past 80 years rather than any particular government.
On September 5, Naqvi said the creation of new administrative units should be based on the people’s wishes, describing the moment as requiring a system reset.
“Reset does not mean breaking down the system. Reset means making wrongs right,” he said, adding that work on new administrative units would only proceed if backed by the people of Pakistan.
The debate subsequently widened when Planning and Development Minister Ahsan Iqbal called for a national discussion on Pakistan’s administrative structure and proposed 12 to 15 provinces.
Joint opposition to convene APC
On the other hand, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan on Friday announced that the joint opposition would hold an All Parties Conference (APC) soon on the creation of new provinces in the country.
The PTI chairman had made the remarks following a delegation-level meeting with Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Fazalur Rehman at his residence.
The “joint opposition platform” would be used for consultation on assembly sessions and matters concerning prisoners, he had added.
The PTI chairman had said they had previously discussed formation of a joint opposition with the JUI-F chief, adding that they agreed on the issue in the Senate and National Assembly.
Gohar had said the first meeting had been encouraging and that consultations would continue in the future too.
He had added that the opposition had not yet been invited to join their proposed long march, while discussions were held on participation in the APC.
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Parliamentary debate on new provinces to be held next month, says minister
Federal Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Tariq Fazal Chaudhry announced Thursday that parliamentary debate on the creation of new provinces would be held in October.
In a statement, the minister said that the National Assembly and Senate sessions scheduled for that month would provide the appropriate forum for the discussion.
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Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has challenged Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi to take his criticism of Pakistan’s political and governance “collapsed” system to parliament, saying the country’s fate cannot be decided by “a handful of businessmen” at business forums.
Speaking to the media in London, Bilawal said Naqvi had every right to express his views, but if he believed that the system had failed, then the issue must be debated in the National Assembly to establish why it had failed and what could be done to fix it.
“It cannot be the case that the fate of the country is decided by a handful of businessmen,” the PPP chairman said, insisting that questions about the weaknesses and failures of Pakistan’s system belonged to elected representatives.
Bilawal also took a pointed swipe at Naqvi over his absence from the lower house, saying: “Mr Mohsin Naqvi does not come to the National Assembly very often, so instead of business forums, he should come to parliament.”
The PPP chairman said he was personally prepared to debate the issue with any federal minister or government representative on the floor of parliament.
Bilawal said problems, faults and weaknesses within Pakistan’s political system were neither new nor something that could be addressed through slogans. There should be an open debate on the causes behind the system’s failures and the solutions required to address them, he added.
Responding to a question whether Naqvi was speaking for someone else through his recent statements, Bilawal said: “Mr Mohsin Naqvi is speaking for himself, and I speak for myself.”
On the intensifying debate over the creation of new provinces, Bilawal said the PPP’s position had not emerged overnight and had remained consistent for a considerable period. He cited Gilgit-Baltistan, Punjab and Sindh to argue that the views of the people should be reflected through their elected representatives and provincial assemblies.
Bilawal warned against presenting the creation of new provinces as a cure-all for Pakistan’s deep-rooted economic and political crises.
“You cannot simply say that by creating new provinces, you will solve the problems of political instability, poverty, unemployment, and the tsunami of inflation,” he said.
Bilawal rejected suggestions that the PPP was preparing to walk away from cooperation with the federal government, saying talks between the PPP and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-) representatives were continuing. “At present, we are fully engaged with the federal government,” he said.
He sharply criticised PTI’s strategy of boycotting parliamentary bodies, committees and elections, arguing that such a course was damaging not only to PTI and the opposition but also to parliament itself. “I believe PTI’s decision to boycott all bodies, all committees, and elections is not only wrong for PTI and wrong for the opposition, but it is also not good for parliament as an institution,” he said.
Bilawal also renewed his criticism of Pakistan’s electoral system, saying he had reservations about the Azad Jammu and Kashmir elections from the outset and continued to hold them. He said discussions were underway between the PPP and PML-N to address the party’s complaints.
Bilawal also responded to questions about his recent visit to Austria, which triggered intense speculation in Pakistan, including rumours surrounding his marriage plans.
“If you create the speculation yourself and then ask me about it afterward, that is quite amusing,” said Bilawal while replying to a question.
Asked simply whether he had enjoyed his Austria visit, Bilawal replied: “It was very good.”
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The next two weeks are being seen as important for discussions on the creation of new provinces and administrative units in Pakistan, with legal and constitutional experts tasked with completing their work on key issues, the 24NewsHD TV channel reported on Wednesday.
According to sources, preparations were under way to begin debate on the new provinces issue in Parliament and to develop a strategy for calling a joint sitting of Parliament.
Legal teams are also working on matters linked to a possible joint sitting and referendum, with constitutional points and other legal issues being finalised, the sources said.
The government has also assigned important figures the task of building political agreement on the creation of new provinces and administrative units.
24NewsHD TV channel reported on August 9, 2026, that Asif Siddique Sahi, a British MP originally from Bahawalpur who was elected from Central London, had said that Pakistan should create new administrative units or provinces to improve governance.
Speaking to reporters in Bahawalpur, Sahi said the parliamentary system in Britain had been designed so that its benefits reached ordinary people.
The creation of new provinces has recently become a major subject of political discussion, with several federal ministers, including Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, supporting the creation of new administrative units.
Mohsin Naqvi had previously said that Pakistan’s existing system of governance had failed to deal with the country’s problems and called for administrative reforms, including the creation of new units.
Speaking at the first Pakistan Economic Summit in Islamabad, he said the system had been in place for 70 years but was no longer capable of solving the country’s major challenges.
He said that although democracy remained important, there were different forms of democratic government and the country’s problems could not be solved through the present system.
Mohsin Naqvi argued that if the current system continued, the same problems would still be under discussion a decade later. He said the question of administrative units or provinces should instead be taken to the public.
He also said that while not everything in the existing political system was wrong, ordinary people still needed basic services and facilities that were not being properly provided.
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Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman has warned against imposing decisions on the creation of new provinces without debate, while accusing successive policies of weakening Pakistan politically and economically.
Addressing a Khatm-e-Nabuwwat conference at the Wahdat Road Cricket Ground in Lahore, Fazl said that September 6, 1965, marked an important episode in protecting Pakistan’s geographical boundaries.
He said the state could only be strong if its people were secure and respected, arguing that political divisions had weakened the country.
“We are not against creating units on principle,” Fazl said, adding that decisions on new provinces should take into account the prevailing “time and circumstances”.
“We are not against provinces, but the time and circumstances must also be considered,” he said, calling for debate rather than unilateral decisions.
Fazl said the provinces controlled mineral resources under the 18th Amendment and political parties needed to play their role in discussions over the issue.
“Do not impose any decision unilaterally; there should be a debate on it,” he said.
Criticising major political parties, Fazl said the Pakistan Peoples Party talked about the issue only in the context of Sindh, while the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz remained silent.
He accused political and social divisions of preventing Pakistan from developing a unified national identity, saying the country had failed to build one nation based on the Two-Nation Theory and had witnessed violence driven by ethnic divisions.
The JUI-F chief also criticised Pakistan’s economic dependence on foreign lenders, saying the country had built its economic foundations on external borrowing.
“Colonialism has ended, but international institutions decide for our country today,” he said, referring to Pakistan’s dependence on loans from the World Bank and International Monetary Fund.
“If they determine our economic policies, then this is another form of colonialism,” he said.
The cleric said Pakistan belonged to its people and that peace and public security were essential to a strong state, warning that the country was instead facing “division upon division”.
He also accused forces of dividing the Muslim world and said JUI-F wanted to provide Pakistan’s poor with a life of dignity.
“The politics of the elite and oppressive politics will not work,” he said, adding that politics based on imposing power on the people would also fail.
Fazl said his party would oppose all movements seeking to repeal Pakistan’s blasphemy laws.
Fazl’s remarks come amid a renewed debate over whether Pakistan needs additional provinces or greater decentralisation through new administrative units.
The divide debate
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi reignited the debate in July, saying the country’s governance system had “collapsed” and calling for fundamental reforms.
He argued that Pakistan should move towards new administrative units, whether called provinces or something else, with greater powers devolved to lower levels.
Naqvi said provinces could be divided on administrative grounds to improve governance and accelerate development.
He later stood by his assessment that the system had been “completely destroyed”, while clarifying that he was referring to its deterioration over the past 80 years.
The PPP opposed taking the proposal further, saying no concrete plan for administrative restructuring had been presented to the party.
The debate later widened when Planning and Development Minister Ahsan Iqbal called for a national discussion on Pakistan’s administrative structure and proposed 12 to 15 provinces.
He said an administrative reforms committee should examine possible changes and stressed that any new provinces would ultimately require political consensus.
Iqbal has also argued that Pakistan’s four provinces have become overly centralised, with authority concentrated in provincial capitals despite devolution under the 18th Amendment.
He proposed around 160 empowered district governments, saying it was not administratively possible to effectively govern Sindh from Karachi, Punjab from Lahore, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa from Peshawar and Balochistan from Quetta.
He warned that demands for new provinces could grow if meaningful devolution to districts and local governments were not achieved.
The debate has consequently centred on two competing approaches: redrawing Pakistan’s provincial boundaries or transferring greater powers to districts and local governments within the existing provinces.
