Bilawal Calls for Parliamentary Debate on Creation of New Provinces

LONDON:Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has called for a debate in the National Assembly on the issue of creating new provinces, saying that Pakistan’s problems can only be resolved through democracy.

Speaking to the media in London, Bilawal said the PPP had a clear stance on the question of provinces. If the existing system had failed, he said, the matter should be formally debated in the National Assembly.

Bilawal maintained that no single political party could resolve all of Pakistan’s problems, adding that democracy was the solution to the country’s challenges.

He said Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi had the right to express his opinion, but demanded that the issue be debated in Parliament. “Mohsin Naqvi rarely attends Parliament; instead of business forums, he should come to Parliament,” Bilawal said.

He questioned why the system had failed and what the solution was, stressing that these issues should be openly discussed in the National Assembly.

“It cannot be that a few businessmen are deciding the fate of the country,” Bilawal said, urging all political parties to engage in national and public matters. He added that the problems within the system should be discussed openly.

Regarding the upcoming Azad Jammu and Kashmir elections, Bilawal said he had reservations about the electoral process. He said the PPP wanted a parliamentary committee to be formed on electoral reforms.

“Whatever happened in the past has happened. The upcoming elections should be free, fair and transparent,” he said.