defence minister discusses new provinces

Efforts are underway to reach a consensus on the creation of new provinces, Pakistani Defence Minister Khwaja Asif said on Saturday, Interior Ministry said in a statement, Dunya News reported.

He stated that the establishment of new administrative units or provinces would not pose a threat to anyone's politics, but rather would be a positive development for Pakistan.

Khwaja Asif clarified that the military had not expressed any opposition to discussing the matter of new provinces, and that they were also unaware of the procedure for creating new administrative units or provinces.

He suggested that the founder of the PTI party should not oppose the creation of new provinces, and that if they were to agree to it, it could create new political opportunities for them.

The Defence Minister expressed optimism that the ongoing discussions were yielding positive results, and that all parties were being taken into confidence in the hope of finding a solution.

He predicted that all concerns would be resolved through consensus in the coming few weeks, and that a new system could be implemented as early as the new year.

Background

The idea of creating new provinces in Pakistan has been a topic of discussion for several years, with various political parties and leaders proposing different plans.

The country currently has four provinces: Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Balochistan, as well as the Islamabad Capital Territory and several autonomous regions.