Mohsin Naqvi proposes referendum on new provinces, promises system-wide reset

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi has proposed holding a referendum on the creation of new provinces, saying the country’s entire system would be put right as part of an overall reset.

Speaking at a press conference, Naqvi presented the referendum as his own suggestion. He also acknowledged that political parties had their respective positions on creating new provinces.

Naqvi said changes would extend across the system, describing a broader overhaul rather than an isolated adjustment. It could not be independently confirmed when or where he made the remarks.

Naqvi’s earlier push for new provinces had already drawn objections over whether changing administrative boundaries would address Pakistan’s governance problems. Naqvi had described the governance system as having collapsed and advocated additional administrative units to improve public services, accountability and access to justice through constitutional change. Former Senate chairman Mian Raza Rabbani also opposed creating new provinces, attributing the failures to constitutional violations.

Speaking to reporters in London while visiting with his father, President Asif Ali Zardari, Bilawal recognised Naqvi’s right to express a different opinion but said parliament, not business forums, was the place for the discussion. He also criticised Naqvi’s infrequent attendance at the National Assembly.