Only the People Have the Right to Create New Provinces, Says Mir Tahir Bizenjo

QUETTA: National Party central leader, former senator and intellectual Mir Tahir Bizenjo has said that only the people have the authority to decide on the creation of new provinces, warning that dividing existing provinces into numerous administrative units through decisions made behind closed doors could have serious consequences.

Speaking about the ongoing debate over the creation of new provinces, Bizenjo said there were reports that major political parties and religious leaders had been taken into confidence regarding the issue.

He recalled that before the arrival of the British, Sindh was ruled by the Talpur dynasty, Balochistan by the Khans, while the kingdom of Ranjit Singh in Punjab extended over a large part of what is now Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

He said the Pashtun areas of Balochistan were separated from Afghanistan under the Treaty of Gandamak, which had been imposed on the Afghan rulers at the time, and were subsequently designated as British Balochistan. Some areas of the Kalat State were also incorporated into the arrangement, he added.

Referring to the views of the late veteran Baloch leader Mir Ghaus Bakhsh Bizenjo, he said the existing provinces should not simply be viewed as administrative units but as historic entities, each with centuries-old distinct histories, geography, cultures and languages.

Mir Tahir Bizenjo said the authority to create new provinces belonged exclusively to the people and warned that transforming existing provinces into dozens of administrative units through decisions made in closed rooms could produce dangerous consequences.

He argued that the real problem was not the large population or vast geographical area of any province, but poor governance, corruption, misappropriation of public resources and an extravagant style of governance.

He said meaningful reforms should focus on improving governance and addressing corruption rather than attempting to solve administrative problems solely through the creation of new provinces.