Mirza Mohammad Afridi, the vice chairman of the Senate, has proposed the establishment of nine new provinces, one of which would include Karachi.
In a recent talk with a private TV Channel, the Deputy Chairman of the Senate, Mirza Mohammad Afridi, said that Pakistan should make nine new provinces, one of which would include Karachi. Afridi was voted to the Senate as an independent candidate in 2018. He thinks that making more provinces will be good for the country.
Afridi wants Karachi, the area that used to be called the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), and the Hazara district to all be made into their own regions. He also thinks that Punjab and Balochistan should each have three states. Afridi talks about how big Balochistan is and says that it should be split into three provinces, just like Punjab should be.
When it comes to Karachi, Afridi is very in favour of making it a separate state. He thinks that FATA should also have its own region, just like the Hazara should have their own. Afridi says that increasing the number of provinces in Pakistan will lead to better growth and government in the long run.
When asked what the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) might say about Karachi’s request for its own province, Afridi brings up the 18th Amendment and the National Finance Commission (NFC) award. He says that when new provinces are made, the NFC award will be split evenly among them to make sure that resources are shared fairly.
Afridi also says that if the planned provinces are made, they will still get their share of the budget as part of the NFC award, even if they are made. This money will help these areas deal with their problems and contribute to the growth of the country as a whole.
During the interview, Afridi talks about how upset he is that the government hasn’t kept the promises it made to the former FATA area. He thinks that the choice to merge FATA with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was made too quickly and did not come with the commitments that were needed. Afridi talks about the problems the people of FATA have and how important it is to solve their problems.
Afridi has also talked to Finance Minister Ishaq Dar about funds. He knows that the problems facing the country can be fixed by making new provinces. He thinks that there will be better use of resources, better government, and more growth if there are more provinces.
When senators from the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) proposed two bills in the Senate earlier this year, the talk about making new provinces picked up speed. The goal of these bills was to make two new provinces: South Punjab and Hazara.
PML-N Senator Rana Mehmoodul Hassan put forward the bill for South Punjab province as a private member’s bill, while PML-N Senator Pir Sabir Shah pushed the bill for Hazara province. These plans to change the Constitution were to be looked at by the Senate Standing Committee on Law and Justice.
Yousaf Raza Gilani, who used to be prime minister and is now Vice-Chairman of the PPP, said last month that all political groups would be consulted before a bill to create a Seraiki province was brought to the assembly.
Senate Deputy Chairman Mirza Mohammad Afridi’s plan to make nine new provinces, including one for Karachi, has started new conversations about the issue. Still, the discussion about making new provinces continues to shape Pakistan’s political scene.
