PTI in Pakistan calls against rushing creation of new provinces — Dawn
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has opposed hasty decisions on creating new provinces. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi said in Karachi that the party would not support the creation of new provinces without the direct approval of its founder, Imran Khan. PTI interim chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan warned that dividing provinces without the consent of residents and their representatives could weaken the federation, Dawn reports.
PTI leadership's position
During an event organized by the Sindh High Court Bar Association in Karachi, Afridi said that PTI supports the position of Sindh residents on the issue of provinces. He also criticized constitutional amendments, claiming that of the 27 changes to the Constitution, only the 18th and 25th amendments had benefited the population. According to him, the other changes were allegedly aimed at exempting government representatives from accountability.
PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja said that changes to the constitutional system are allegedly being planned to introduce the 28th constitutional amendment. He claimed that it would alter the constitutional requirement for a two-thirds majority of a provincial assembly to support a decision on creating provinces. Raja said that PTI had already opposed the 26th and 27th amendments and would likewise oppose the 28th.
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Call for political consensus
Gohar Ali Khan told journalists in the federal capital that consensus must be reached, a commission established and discussions held before a decision is made. In his view, the issue should be considered by representatives of a new parliament. He also referred to the broad political agreement reached during the adoption of the 18th Amendment in 2010.
Senate opposition leader Allama Raja Nasir Abbas, who is part of the Tehreek-e-Tahafuz Aain-e-Pakistan opposition alliance, said that the federal cabinet had not made a decision on the matter and that the National Assembly, the Senate and the provinces had not discussed it. He questioned the origin of the proposal and noted that the position of the PML-N party on the matter had not been determined. Abbas called on the government to gather all political forces for a joint position against the move, which he described as dangerous.
