Rana Sanaullah says parliament to decide on creation of new provinces

Addressing a press conference, the senior Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader said the Punjab government intends to hold local government elections, while Parliament has the authority to decide matters concerning the provinces. He said discussions on the creation of new provinces are currently under way.

Rana Sanaullah said a meeting with the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) was held at Governor House, where differences between the PPP and PML-N over the Azad Jammu and Kashmir elections were also discussed. He said the debate on new provinces had not started at the appropriate forum and should have been initiated in Parliament.

The matter would move in a better direction once it comes before Parliament, he added. Rana Sanaullah said the PML-N would give its opinion after the matter was discussed at the appropriate forum, while the prime minister would take the decision.

He further said Parliament would decide whether new provinces should be created, adding that no one could stop the creation of new provinces if there was a public desire for them. All political parties would accept a decision taken by Parliament, he said, adding that the government could not decide on a referendum on its own.

Speaking about Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), Rana Sanaullah said it was a political party and its sit-ins and rallies were held in accordance with the Constitution and law. He said the party’s demands were heard carefully during negotiations, while the prime minister held detailed discussions on electricity, load-shedding and reducing petroleum prices.

He urged Jamaat-e-Islami leaders to avoid putting themselves through unnecessary hardship. He said the JI candidate had stated that they would come to Islamabad and bring down the government, adding that if the objective was to topple the government, there could be a risk of violence.

Rana Sanaullah clarified that saying whether provinces would or would not be created would amount to dictating the forum of Parliament. He stressed that the final decision would be taken by Parliament after considering all opinions.