He said the concentration of power had made the current system obsolete and that it needed to be ‘corrected’
Defence Minister Khawaja Asif. PHOTO: APP/ File
ISLAMABAD:
Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has said that the devolution of power is “inevitable” and questioned PPP’s ‘contradictory position’ on the creation of new provinces and administrative units, saying the concentration of power had rendered the existing system obsolete.
Asif argued that the principle of devolution had already been settled constitutionally through the 18th Amendment but had not been implemented in its true spirit. He said Pakistan could either create more provinces or reorganise the existing administrative structure, including by using the country’s 36 divisions, but the concentration of power had to be addressed.
“When there is talk of a Saraiki province in Punjab, the PPP supports it or shows a soft corner on this issue. And when there is talk of multiple provinces or administrative units instead of four, talk of ‘Sindhudesh’ begins,” he said in a post on the social media platform X late Friday night.
Asif’s comments came after the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) was denied an opportunity on Friday to present a resolution against the “Sindhudesh movement”. The PPP had criticised the MQM-P for attempting to “mislead the people” by tabling the resolution.
The defence minister said he saw “something else” behind the PPP’s “dual policy”, adding that he would delve deeper into the matter “when the time comes”.
“We are first and foremost Pakistanis. Devolution was decided as a constitutional principle through the 18th Amendment, which was not respected. Time and circumstance demand that it be implemented with integrity,” he said.
Asif said the concentration of power had made the current system obsolete and that it needed to be “corrected”.
“Provinces or administrative units, whatever label you want to apply. You have 36 divisions, use them, or devise some other administrative-geographical scheme. The devolution of power is inevitable,” he said.
Asif’s remarks came as the PPP, a key ally of the PML-N-led ruling coalition, questioned Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s silence over the debate on creating new provinces and sought his stance on the matter.
The PPP had earlier maintained that any move to create additional federating units must follow the procedure laid down in the Constitution. However, the PPP-led Sindh government on Wednesday got a resolution passed by the provincial assembly opposing any further division of the country’s existing four provinces.
The debate over the creation of new federating units has continued for the past couple of months in different circles, although there has been no official confirmation about the origin or contours of any proposal.
However, some ruling-party leaders and federal cabinet members have publicly expressed support for the idea at different forums, including parliament.
Sindh Senior Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon on Saturday deplored Defence Minister Khawaja Asif’s statement as disappointing and called on the federal government to clarify whether it reflected official government policy or his personal opinion.
In a statement, Sharjeel said statements by federal ministers amounted to political aggression against the province and urged Khawaja Asif to study history, the Constitution and parliamentary records before making statements about Sindh and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP).
He said the PPP’s position was neither contradictory nor ambiguous, but clear, principled and constitutional.
