{"id":19557,"date":"2026-09-05T13:35:44","date_gmt":"2026-09-05T08:35:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newspulse.com.pk\/en\/?p=19557"},"modified":"2026-09-05T13:35:44","modified_gmt":"2026-09-05T08:35:44","slug":"ppps-two-faced-policy-on-provinces","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newspulse.com.pk\/en\/2026\/09\/05\/ppps-two-faced-policy-on-provinces\/","title":{"rendered":"PPP\u2019s \u2018two-faced policy\u2019 on provinces has something more behind it: Khawaja Asif"},"content":{"rendered":"

PPP\u2019s \u2018two-faced policy\u2019 on provinces has something more behind it: Khawaja Asif<\/strong><\/h3>\n

ISLAMABAD: Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has accused the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) of adopting a \u201ctwo-faced policy\u201d on the issue of creating new provinces and administrative units, saying he sees \u201csomething more\u201d behind the party\u2019s position that he would disclose \u201cwhen the time comes.\u201d Reported News Pulse<\/strong><\/p>\n

In a late-night post on X, Asif<\/a> said the PPP appeared supportive when the issue of creating a separate Saraiki province in Punjab was raised, but adopted a different stance when discussion shifted towards increasing the number of provinces or establishing additional administrative units.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen the matter of a Saraiki province in Punjab arises, the PPP supports it or shows a soft corner on this issue. And when the talk turns from four to multiple provinces or administrative units, the talk for Sindhudesh begins,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n

\u201cI see something more behind this two-faced policy of the PPP. I will explain it when the time comes,\u201d the defence minister added.<\/p>\n

Asif stressed that national identity should remain paramount, saying: \u201cWe are, first and last, Pakistanis.\u201d<\/p>\n

He argued that devolution of powers was already established as a constitutional principle under the 18th Amendment but had not been implemented in its true spirit.<\/p>\n

\u201cDevolution is a constitutional principle settled through the 18th Amendment, which has not been respected,\u201d he said, adding that prevailing circumstances demanded its implementation \u201cwith honesty.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to Asif, stronger devolution could strengthen democracy at the grassroots level and enable citizens to benefit directly from the system of governance.<\/p>\n

\u201cDemocracy can flourish at the grassroots level, and the people can benefit from its fruits,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

He questioned the concentration of powers under the existing administrative structure and called for meaningful reforms.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe point is simply this: what the current system has done with the accumulation of obsolete powers. It needs to be corrected with honesty,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The minister proposed that Pakistan could utilise its existing administrative divisions or devise a new geographical structure to improve governance.<\/p>\n

\u201cLabel the provinces or administrative units whatever you like. You have 36 divisions\u2014use them or devise some other administrative geographical scheme,\u201d Asif said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe devolution of powers is inevitable,\u201d he concluded.<\/p>\n

The debate over the creation of new provinces and administrative units gained momentum last month after Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi called for additional provinces or administrative units, arguing that Pakistan\u2019s outdated governance structure required major reforms.<\/p>\n

Naqvi had stressed that meaningful structural changes were necessary to improve governance, ensure justice and create greater opportunities for the country\u2019s growing young population.<\/p>\n

His remarks triggered a strong political reaction, particularly in Sindh, where major political parties have opposed any move to divide the province.<\/p>\n

Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah rejected the argument that the province\u2019s governance system had collapsed and warned against creating unnecessary tensions over the issue.<\/p>\n

Responding to calls for new provinces, Shah said no bloodshed would be allowed over the matter and pointed out that the Constitution already provided a procedure for creating new provinces.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe people of Sindh say that the provinces will be built on our dead bodies. My brother, we will not let anyone’s dead bodies fall. Don’t dramatise it so much,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

He explained that under the Constitution, a province could be divided if its provincial assembly passed a resolution with a two-thirds majority in favour of such a move.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) announced plans to initiate a grand national dialogue with other political parties on the creation of new provinces and administrative units.<\/p>\n

The party argued that Pakistan\u2019s rapidly growing population, weak governance and concentration of political authority had made greater administrative devolution necessary.<\/p>\n

MQM-P leader Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui said the proposal for additional administrative units in Sindh was not aimed at the Sindhi population but at empowering citizens by giving them greater control over their own affairs.<\/p>\n

\u201cCreating administrative units is not against Sindhis; it is for Sindhis,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Another MQM-P leader, Farooq Sattar, also backed the proposal, arguing that additional administrative units were necessary for Pakistan\u2019s survival, development and stability.<\/p>\n

He warned that continued reliance on the existing system could fuel unrest in different parts of the country.<\/p>\n

However, Sindh Information Minister Nasir Hussain Shah strongly criticised the MQM-P\u2019s demand, describing the call for new provinces and administrative units as a reflection of the party\u2019s political frustration and isolation.<\/p>\n

Rejecting any proposal to divide Sindh, Shah said: \u201cSindh will not be divided, but I certainly see the Muttahida being divided.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sindh Labour and Human Resources Minister Saeed Ghani also opposed the proposal, saying the people of Sindh and political parties across the province were united against the creation of a new province.<\/p>\n

Reacting to statements by MQM-P leaders, Ghani said the constitutional authority to decide on the creation of a new province rested with the people concerned.<\/p>\n

He also accused MQM-P leaders of attempting to revive what he described as the politics of hatred.<\/p>\n

The latest statements from Khawaja Asif are likely to further intensify the political debate over Pakistan\u2019s administrative structure, provincial boundaries and the long-standing demand for greater devolution of power to the grassroots level.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

PPP\u2019s \u2018two-faced policy\u2019 on provinces has something more behind it: Khawaja Asif ISLAMABAD: Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has accused the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) of adopting a \u201ctwo-faced policy\u201d on the issue of creating new provinces and administrative units, saying he sees \u201csomething more\u201d behind the party\u2019s position that he would disclose \u201cwhen the time […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":17040,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2297,2298],"tags":[3582],"class_list":["post-19557","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-latest-news","category-pakistan","tag-defense-minister-khawaja-asif"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newspulse.com.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19557","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newspulse.com.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newspulse.com.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newspulse.com.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newspulse.com.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19557"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/newspulse.com.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19557\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19558,"href":"https:\/\/newspulse.com.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19557\/revisions\/19558"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newspulse.com.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17040"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newspulse.com.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19557"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newspulse.com.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19557"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newspulse.com.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19557"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}