President Zardari, PM Shehbaz discuss national affairs
Lahore meeting follows Naqvi’s referendum proposal
Mandv
Meetin is fuelling speculation over the political agenda behind the high-level huddle. PHOTO: NNI
LAHORE:
As Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi reignited the debate over the creation of new provinces by proposing a referendum to gauge public sentiment, President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met on Saturday for talks that, according to an official statement, focused on the country’s overall “political and economic” situation.
The meeting between Zardari and Sharif at the latter’s Model Town residence in Lahore followed the president’s earlier meeting with Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi in Nawabshah.
The back-to-back engagements came amid renewed debate over Naqvi’s proposal for a referendum on the creation of new provinces, an idea that has found support among cabinet members and within the ruling PML-N.
According to a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office, the two leaders discussed the country’s overall political, economic and security situation. Sharif also briefed Zardari on his recent visit to Turkiye and his participation in the 31st Conference of the Parties (COP31).
The two leaders also discussed cooperation among coalition partners, continued consultations and progress on public welfare initiatives. They reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening economic stability and accelerating development.
While neither the Lahore meeting nor the earlier engagement in Nawabshah yielded much publicly, the composition of the delegations during Saturday’s meeting offered a glimpse into the broader political significance of the meetings.
The delegation included National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, former prime minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, Senator Saleem Mandviwalla, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar, Prime Minister’s Adviser Rana Sanaullah and MNA Hamza Shehbaz.
Zardari and his sister, PPP Women’s Wing President Faryal Talpur, are in Lahore primarily to attend a family wedding. Talpur arrived earlier this week, while the president reached the city on Saturday.
The meetings come amid renewed debate over the creation of new provinces after Naqvi proposed that political parties seek public opinion on the issue through a referendum.
The proposal has also found support within sections of the PML-N. Punjab Assembly Speaker Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan recently questioned whether elected representatives could override the people’s verdict in a referendum.
Such a move could potentially bypass the existing requirement for resolutions by provincial assemblies to create new provinces.
Zardari’s recent meeting with Naqvi in Nawabshah had also drawn attention amid the debate over new provinces. However, the President’s House said the meeting focused on national security and the regional situation.
According to available information, Zardari has been touring Sindh since November 1 before travelling to Lahore to attend the wedding.
Both the PPP and PML-N have remained cautious on the issue, maintaining that, under the Constitution, any proposal to create new provinces must originate in the provincial assemblies.
However, their positions have varied, ranging from advocating a stronger local government system to weighing the pros and cons of creating new provinces. Political circles view an outright rejection of the proposal as a politically risky stance.
Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, when asked about the substance of the meeting in view of the generic official statement, said he had not attended it and was therefore unaware of what had transpired.
Senator Saleem Mandviwalla, speaking to The Express Tribune, said the creation of new provinces had not been discussed and that the PPP had yet to take a position on the issue.
Calling the meeting a lengthy engagement, Mandviwalla said discussions centred largely on the overall situation in the country, sugar prices and wheat imports, alongside informal exchanges with the prime minister’s sons, Hamza and Suleman.
Regarding the official statement’s reference to cooperation among coalition partners, Mandviwalla said the prime minister wanted the allies to continue working together and the coalition to remain intact.
