PTI's Gohar says any 'hasty decision' on new provinces would weaken federation

PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan on Monday cautioned against making any “hasty decision” regarding the creation of new provinces, saying it would weaken the federation. Speaking to reporters in Islamabad, Gohar said that dividing any of the four provinces, if done against the will of their residents and their representatives, would “weaken the federation”. “Let a consensus be formed first; a commission should be set up on it, and deliberations should be held.

Eventually, the new parliament that will come, those public representatives should review and provide consensus,” the PTI chairman said. He called for building consensus on the matter, similar to the large-scale political agreement reached at the time of the 18th Amendment in 2010. “Any decision, if taken, should be made after that. Making any hasty decision, in our opinion, will be against the federation’s unity,” Gohar said. “If you make provinces based on reasons unacceptable to the people and on which there is no consensus, you will create further complications instead of solving the issue of good governance,” he contended. The PTI leader urged against carrying out “further such experimental trials” and enacting any…