WEBDESK - NAYADAUR - Imran Malik
Pakistan Peoples Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and his father, President Asif Ali Zardari, have reaffirmed the party’s opposition to any move to divide Sindh, according to reports cited by The Current and Geo News.
The decision was reached during a five-hour meeting at Zardari’s residence in London, which was also attended by Bilawal’s sister, Bakhtawar Bhutto-Zardari, according to the reports.
The meeting focused on Pakistan’s political situation and the PPP’s position on proposals to create new provinces or divide existing ones.
According to the reports, the leaders agreed that the PPP would stand firmly against any proposal to divide Sindh or alter its territorial boundaries.
The meeting also discussed a speech delivered by PPP leader Faryal Talpur.
The development came two days after the Sindh Assembly passed a resolution rejecting proposals to divide the province, change its territorial boundaries or establish new administrative units. The resolution stated that the assembly would not consent to any territorial alteration involving Sindh.
Bilawal has previously maintained that the PPP’s position on creating new provinces is clear and that any such decision should be reached through political consensus.
Regarding Sindh, he has said the issue should be discussed through the provincial assembly, reinforcing the PPP’s position that questions concerning the province’s territorial or administrative structure should be handled through constitutional and political institutions.
The renewed debate over Pakistan’s administrative structure began in late July, when Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi argued that the country’s governance system had “collapsed” and called for creating new administrative units. He said the units could be called provinces or something else and also advocated devolving powers to lower levels of government.
Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal subsequently proposed creating between 12 and 15 provinces, calling for a national debate and political consensus on administrative reforms.
Prime Minister’s Adviser Rana Sanaullah later described the debate as premature.
The PPP, meanwhile, has maintained that proposals concerning the creation or restructuring of provinces should be debated through the relevant assemblies.
The latest meeting between Bilawal and Zardari therefore reinforces the party’s position on Sindh at a time when calls for broader administrative restructuring have reopened a politically sensitive debate across Pakistan.