Khawaja Asif accuses PPP of double standards over new provinces

Pakistan Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has accused the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) of maintaining ‘double standards’ regarding the creation of new provinces. Asif noted that while the PPP appears to support the demand for a Saraiki province in Punjab, the party raises the issue of Sindhudesh whenever broader administrative restructuring or the creation of multiple provinces is discussed.

Asif stated that there is ‘something else’ behind the PPP’s contradictory stance, though he did not elaborate further. He emphasized a unified national identity, stating, ‘we are Pakistanis, first and last.’

In addition to the provincial debate, Asif called for the genuine implementation of power devolution as mandated by the 18th Constitutional Amendment. He argued that the current concentration of authority has made the existing system outdated and that transferring power to lower levels is essential for grassroots democracy. He suggested that Pakistan’s 36 existing divisions could serve as a foundation for new administrative arrangements, describing the devolution of power as ‘inevitable.’