PML-Likeminded President Senator Salim Saifullah on Saturday said formation of new provinces in Pakistan was the need of the hour, adding that his party had already supported making Hazara and Bahawalpur into provinces
“If there is a possibility of more provinces, they should be formed immediately,” he said.
In a statement issued by the PML-Likeminded Central Secretariat, Saifullah warned that the formation of more provinces should not be based on ethnic basis as it would augment ethnicity in the country and would open a new Pandora’s box, rather they should be formed on administrative grounds.
The senator said the administrative map of Pakistan had undergone various changes since 1947. He said in an effort to improve governance, we should be geared towards continuous improvements to the system and the realignment of the administrative units such as provinces, divisions, districts and tehsils.
He said splitting the provinces into more compact, efficient and effective units would also have the added benefit of reducing the importance of provinces, which interfered with the cohesion of the country as one nation.
He said provincial slogans would be replaced by national slogans and everyone would be a Pakistani instead of being Pashtun, Punjabi, Sindhi or Baloch. He highlighted that if the provinces were formed on an administrative basis, it would discourage politicians from raising province-related slogans such as “Greater Balochistan’’, “Jeay Sindh”, “Pashtoonistan” and “jag Punjabi jag’’ would lose their charm and these slogans would become irrelevant and they would also lose the power to divide the country into racial blocks. He said formation of provinces on the administrative grounds would negate provincialism, promote nationalism, harmony and the country would be on the path of development. He said that India had 35 provinces; Afghanistan had more than 26 provinces then why not Pakistan should have more provinces.
