NAWABSHAH (The Thursday Times) — Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi flew to Nawabshah on Thursday night for talks of nearly an hour with President Asif Ali Zardari, hours after he called for a referendum to settle the question of new provinces.
The unannounced meeting took place at Zardari House and lasted about 59 minutes, according to reports. Naqvi flew in from Islamabad on a special aircraft and returned on the same plane after the talks.
He was received at Nawabshah airport by Sindh’s home minister, Zia ul Hassan Lanjar, the provincial minister for works and prisons, Haji Ali Hassan Zardari, and senior district officials, and was driven to Zardari House under tight security.
Neither the presidency nor the interior ministry issued a statement on the meeting. Reports citing sources said the two leaders discussed the political situation, security, and the creation of new provinces, including a possible referendum on the issue. Some reports said Naqvi had carried a message for the president. Its content was not disclosed.
The provinces debate
Earlier on Thursday, Naqvi told reporters in Lahore that political parties should let the people decide on new provinces through a referendum. He said that if most people backed the idea, the government should go ahead, and that he and the PPP chairman, Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, broadly agreed on the need to reset the system.
Naqvi also dismissed talk that the debate could split the governing coalition, saying major decisions needed the consent of the parties concerned.
The PPP’s home province is where the idea meets the strongest resistance. The Sindh Assembly passed a resolution on September 4 rejecting any proposal to divide Sindh, and Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah has said the province will not compromise on its territorial integrity.
A referendum can measure public opinion but cannot redraw a province on its own. Under Article 239 of the Constitution, changing a province’s limits needs a constitutional amendment passed by two-thirds of each house of parliament and approved by two-thirds of the total membership of that province’s assembly. Our analysis sets out what a 12-province plan would require.
Zardari has been in Sindh for about 10 days, visiting Thatta, Sujawal, and Tando Allahyar, according to reports.
