Rana Sanaullah Says Decision on Creation of New Provinces Rests with Parliament

ISLAMABAD:Prime Minister’s Adviser on Political Affairs Senator Rana Sanaullah has said that any decision regarding the creation of new provinces in Pakistan must be taken by Parliament.

Speaking to the media, Rana Sanaullah questioned the practicality of passing legislation now while implementing it after the next general elections. He said Parliament was the appropriate forum to decide whether a referendum should be held and what question should be put before the public.

Discussing constitutional amendments, Rana Sanaullah said political parties had spent around one and a half months consulting Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman over the 26th Constitutional Amendment. He said representatives of three parties would often meet the JUI-F chief, and every clause of the amendment was thoroughly debated before reaching a consensus.

He added that the establishment of a constitutional court under the 27th Constitutional Amendment was part of the unfinished agenda of the 26th Amendment. He maintained that the government favoured bringing constitutional amendments to Parliament only after securing the required numbers. However, he said the government had not yet prepared for the 28th Constitutional Amendment or begun consultations on the matter.

On the issue of provincial autonomy, Rana Sanaullah said the 18th Constitutional Amendment transferred powers from the federal government to the provinces, but the provinces had failed to devolve those powers further to the grassroots level.

He said the real issue was the transfer of authority to local governments, adding that it could be addressed through smaller administrative units or an effective local government system. He proposed introducing a Provincial Finance Commission (PFC) on the pattern of the National Finance Commission (NFC), arguing that transferring funds directly to union councils would also ensure the devolution of powers.

He questioned how local government institutions could become effective without constitutional protection.

Commenting on the controversy surrounding security arrangements outside Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s residence, Rana Sanaullah said terrorism was Pakistan’s real challenge, not the generator installed outside the JUI-F chief’s house.

He stressed that the country should focus on its major challenges and said differences of opinion with Maulana Fazlur Rehman could be resolved through dialogue. He added that if the security cabin and generator were causing inconvenience to the public, the JUI-F chief could have been requested to remove them.

Rana Sanaullah said he had visited Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s residence several times, while the prime minister and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi had also visited the place. He said the security cabin and generator had never appeared to obstruct access during his visits, but added that he would visit again to assess whether they were creating any difficulties.

He further clarified that neither the prime minister nor any other participant discussed the notices issued to Maulana Fazlur Rehman during the federal cabinet meeting.

The adviser said political disagreements should be expressed respectfully, even when parties do not agree with one another’s positions. He also urged Maulana Fazlur Rehman to control his emotions and anger, saying his challenging remarks and confrontational language were inappropriate.

Rana Sanaullah called for intervention at the prime minister’s level to ensure mutual respect between the two sides.

Regarding Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), he said meetings with the party’s founder could resume if PTI leaders stopped misusing the facility for political purposes.

Referring to a meeting involving Salman Safdar, he said another controversy had emerged following the interaction, with claims that the PTI founder’s blood pressure had increased. He rejected the claim, stating that the party founder did not have any such blood pressure issue.

He assured that there had been no negligence in the provision of medical treatment and said all recommendations made by doctors would be implemented immediately. He added that no shortcomings had occurred in the PTI founder’s medical care in the past.

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