SHEIKHUPURA: Federal Minister for Communications Abdul Aleem Khan has said that the creation of smaller provinces in Pakistan will “certainly be made”, stressing that such a move would improve governance and service delivery.
Addressing the Workers’ Convention of the Istiqam Pakistan Party (IPP) in Sheikhupura on Sunday night, the federal minister said the move would help strengthen “administrative control” and provide better services to citizens.
He said that the creation of three provinces each in Sindh and Punjab would benefit the people, adding that three provinces each in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) could also be created.
He added that “we have many small provinces all around us in neighboring countries.”
It is worth mentioning that the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), a key ally of the PML-N at the center, has long been strongly opposed to the idea of new provinces in Sindh.
Chief Minister Sindh Murad Ali Shah had warned last month that the PPP would not accept any move against the interests of his province or Pakistan.
Chief Minister Murad’s remarks came as the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) indicated that it would use all legal and democratic means to establish new provinces through the 28th Amendment.
Chief Minister Murad had said that stop worrying about the rumors of establishment of new provinces and division of Sindh.
Earlier, the Sindh Chief Minister had categorically rejected the talk of establishment of new provinces, saying, “Listen to the talk of new provinces in one ear and throw it out of the other except Allah, no one can create Sindh.” “It does not have the power to divide.”
Speaking on the occasion, the minister praised Chief of Army Staff (COAS) and Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, saying that under their leadership, the Pakistan Army had inflicted a humiliating defeat on India.
Earlier this year, Pakistan and India had a military confrontation, the worst between the old enemies in decades, triggered by a terrorist attack on tourists in the Pahalgam area of IIOJK, which New Delhi alleged was backed by Pakistan.
Islamabad denied involvement in the Pahalgam attack, which killed 26 people, and offered to participate in an impartial investigation into the deadly incident.
During the clashes, Pakistan shot down seven Indian fighter jets, including three Rafales, and dozens of drones. After at least 87 hours, the war between the two nuclear-armed countries ended on May 10 with a US-brokered ceasefire agreement.
