DG ISPR says decision on new administrative rests with people, calls Mohsin Naqvi's remarks personal opinion

Director General of Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry on Friday said that Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi's remarks on creating new provinces or administrative units reflected his personal opinion, adding that any such decision should be made by the people in accordance with the Constitution.

Responding to a question during a press conference about the interior minister's statement, the DG ISPR said he did not wish to comment on Mohsin Naqvi's personal views. However, he stressed that good governance was essential for Pakistan's stability and security.

He noted that the National Action Plan (NAP) contained 14 agreed points endorsed by all political parties and questioned why its implementation remained incomplete.

"We discussed one point here, but there are 13 others, including narcotics, smuggling, Afghan refugees, madrassa registration and other issues. All of these depend on good governance. These challenges cannot be resolved without improving governance," he said.

Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry further observed that Pakistan had four provinces when its population was around 60 million, and it still has four provinces despite the population increasing to approximately 240 million.

He said the country needed to think about improving governance in light of the growing population, adding that politicians and all political parties wanted national issues to be resolved.

"Whether there should be new provinces or administrative units is not for us to decide. It is for the people to decide. If the public is satisfied with the current governance structure, that is their choice; otherwise, they should make a decision in accordance with the Constitution," he said.