New Provinces Need Parliament, Ministers Tell Debate
New provinces need parliament and provincial assemblies, two ministers said on Friday, as the debate over creating new units in Pakistan gathered pace. Their message was that no referendum and no statement on its own can create a province, because the Constitution sets out a clear procedure.
Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Tariq Fazal Chaudhry said parliament and provincial assemblies could not be bypassed or negated in the process of creating new provinces. Sindh Local Government Minister Syed Nasir Hussain Shah said any move to create a new province must fulfil constitutional requirements, including a two-thirds majority in the relevant provincial assembly.
The two statements came as the debate over a referendum continued in Islamabad and Karachi. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi has proposed a referendum to settle the matter, and the Punjab Assembly speaker has backed the idea. The ministers’ remarks push back on that plan.
New provinces need parliament: the ministers’ case
Chaudhry spoke on a private television programme on Friday. He said the PML-N believed the creation of new provinces required national consensus, which could only be achieved through the involvement and agreement of all political parties. He said the Constitution laid down a procedure for creating new provinces, including a role for provincial assemblies.
“Accordingly, the role of the provincial assemblies cannot be bypassed or negated. This is not appropriate,” he said. “Even if you want to bypass the role of parliament and provincial assemblies in this matter, then there should be a method for that as well. It cannot happen simply through verbal statements,” he said.
He added that if a referendum showed public support, lawmakers would have to consider the majority’s wishes. But a referendum on its own is not the procedure the Constitution prescribes.
Sindh sets out its own red line
Shah spoke to the media at an Expo 2026 event in Karachi on Friday. He said Sindh’s future will be decided by its people, and any move to create a new province must fulfil constitutional requirements, including a two-thirds majority in the relevant provincial assembly.
“Merely calling for a referendum would not lead to the creation of a new province,” he added. He said President Asif Ali Zardari and PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari had made it clear that the province’s fate would be determined by the will of its people.
He also dismissed speculation linking a meeting between President Zardari and Mohsin Naqvi to the division of Sindh, saying it was based on personal ties. Feature Pakistan reported that meeting in our story on the Zardari-Naqvi meeting at the President House.
On Karachi’s development, the minister said work was under way on more than 150 major and minor roads. He also announced a single-window facility at ABAD House to facilitate builders and investors.
What the Constitution requires
The debate turns on Article 239(4) of the Constitution, which requires any amendment to a province’s limits to be passed by two-thirds of that province’s assembly. That is why both ministers stressed the role of the provincial assemblies, and why Shah said a referendum alone cannot create a province.
Naqvi proposed a referendum to settle the question of new provinces, as reported in our story on his referendum proposal. Punjab Assembly Speaker Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan then endorsed the idea. Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah has also set out the PPP’s position, as reported here.
The Federal Constitutional Court, which would hear any challenge to a constitutional change, marked its first anniversary this week, as reported in our story on the court’s first year.
For now, the two ministers have drawn the same line. A referendum can show what people want, but only parliament and the provincial assemblies, acting under the Constitution, can create a new province.
Frequently asked questions
Can a referendum create a new province?
No. Ministers from both the PML-N and the PPP say a referendum alone cannot create a province. The Constitution sets out a procedure that must be followed.
What does the Constitution require?
Article 239(4) requires any amendment to a province’s limits to be passed by two-thirds of that province’s assembly.
What did Tariq Fazal Chaudhry say?
The parliamentary affairs minister said parliament and provincial assemblies cannot be bypassed or negated, and that new provinces need national consensus built through all political parties.
What did Nasir Hussain Shah say?
The Sindh minister said Sindh’s future will be decided by its people, and that merely calling for a referendum would not lead to the creation of a new province.
What happens next?
The debate continues in parliament and the provincial assemblies. If a referendum showed public support, lawmakers would have to consider it, but the constitutional procedure would still have to be followed.
