Federal Minister for Investment Qaiser Ahmed Sheikh has said new provinces must be created in Pakistan, even if a referendum is held to seek public opinion on the issue, 24NewsHD TV reported on Sunday.
Speaking to the media in Chiniot, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader said people clearly wanted new provinces, but governments and political parties were not ready to take the step.
He said every district should receive an equal share of resources so that people could enjoy better facilities and development opportunities.
The minister said Punjab had the world’s 13th-largest population if compared with countries, adding that those controlling the province’s resources were not interested in creating new provinces.
“How can anyone support new provinces when one person controls all of Punjab’s resources?” Qaiser Ahmed Sheikh asked, according to 24News.
He also criticised political parties, saying there was little democracy within their own ranks, and said the existing system mainly benefited wealthy people and those in power instead of ordinary citizens.
Qaiser Ahmed Sheikh said Pakistan needed a system that worked for the common people and improved their lives, and added that education was the only way to move the country forward and achieve lasting progress.
His remarks in Chiniot came on a day when he also addressed the convocation ceremony at FAST University Chiniot, where he told graduates that education was the only way forward for Pakistan and urged them to play their role in national development, according to the Associated Press of Pakistan.
Addressing the convocation, the minister said all countries that had achieved remarkable economic progress had done so through education, investment in human capital and the development of knowledge-based economies.
He recalled his efforts to establish FAST University in Chiniot, saying setting up the institution in the city had been his long-standing dream, and said about 3,000 students were currently enrolled there, APP reported.
The minister’s call for new provinces adds another voice to a debate that has intensified in recent days. Federal Minister Mustafa Kamal has said December will be crucial for the issue and has signalled a possible referendum, while Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has said efforts are under way to build a political consensus on the creation of new provinces.
At the same time, Kheal Das Kohistani has said there has been no discussion in the federal cabinet or in any PML-N forum on creating new provinces, holding a referendum or bringing 28th or 29th constitutional amendments, underlining that the debate remains open within the ruling coalition.
Qaiser Ahmed Sheikh’s intervention is notable because he linked the demand for new provinces directly to the distribution of resources, arguing that smaller administrative units would give every district a fairer share and bring development closer to ordinary people.
