Daily Times

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Senator Raza Rabbani on Monday censured the Senate’s deputy chairman for suggesting making Karachi a separate province, warning that the “tinkering” with the 1973 Constitution will be a “disaster”. “The talk of the creation of new provinces is strongly opposed on historical, linguistic and ethnic considerations,” the former chairman Senate in a statement said. He added that the creation of provinces on administrative bases was put forward by the state to counter the “demand for provincial autonomy and the nationalist movements”.

“This to an extent was implemented through the local bodies during the Musharraf regime, it failed,” Senator Rabbani said.  He added that the suggestions are being made again “to roll back the 18th Amendment and the introduction of a presidential form of government”.

“The state must learn from the mistakes of the past and more so from the recent past,” urged the senator. He also warned that any “tinkering with the Constitution” will be a disaster as “national census on constitutional issues particularly provincial autonomy will not be achievable”.

He further warned that it would also “create political instability leading to greater economic instability”.

Rabbani’s statement came after Senate Deputy Chairman Mirza Muhammad Afridi suggested carving out nine more provinces, including Karachi, as a solution for better administration.

In an interview, the senator recommended forming three provinces each in Balochistan and Punjab, two in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), and one in Sindh. Afridi, an independent lawmaker, said that KP’s Hazara district and tribal areas (formerly Fata) be made separate administrative units.

“The more provinces there are in Pakistan, the better it will be. If new provinces are formed in the country, the problems will be solved,” Mirza Afridi said. When asked about how the resources will then be shared, he said after the 18th amendment, the provinces would continue to get their share.

The senator added that if new provinces are formed, they will continue to get a share under the NFC (National Finance Commission) award, lamenting that the government has not fulfilled the promises made with Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata). “Even today the people of Fata have many concerns and are facing difficulties,” the lawmaker said. Afridi further said that he has also raised the issue of funds with Finance Minister Ishaq Dar.