New provinces issue should be decided with national consensus: Chaudhry Shujaat

Pakistan Muslim League (PML-Q) President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain has called on all political parties to address the issue of creating new provinces through serious and meaningful national consultation rather than political confrontation.

In a press statement, Chaudhry Shujaat said the creation of new provinces was not the issue of any single political party, group or region, but was directly linked to public convenience, better governance, administrative efficiency and the country's future.

He said that any decision on the matter should be based on ground realities and public needs instead of political interests or temporary slogans.

The PML president said the key question should be how the administrative system could provide greater relief to the people and ensure that their problems were resolved more effectively at their doorstep.

He maintained that if the creation of new provinces could improve administrative affairs, provide immediate relief to citizens and enhance the performance of government institutions, the proposal should be considered with an open mind. Chaudhry Shujaat also proposed strengthening administrative units as an alternative approach, saying that empowering divisions with adequate authority, resources and decision-making powers could help reduce the distance between the administration and the public.

He said decentralisation of powers could speed up government affairs and enable authorities to address citizens problems more effectively.

PML president warned that Pakistan could not afford further political divisions, stressing that fundamental national issues such as new provinces and administrative reforms should be taken out of the sphere of confrontation, allegations and political point-scoring.