President House says new provinces did not come under discussion during Zardari, Naqvi meeting

ISLAMABAD BUREAU —The President House said on Friday that media reports about yesterday’s meeting between President Asif Ali Zardari and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi were false. The clarification comes after several media reports emerged claiming that Naqvi and the president had discussed the formation of new provinces during a meeting in Nawabshah on Thursday night.

No official handout was issued about the meeting. “There is no truth to media reports suggesting that matters concerning the provinces were discussed during the interior minister’s meeting with the president,” the President House said in a statement. “Matters concerning national security and the regional situation were discussed during the meeting.

However, no discussion took place on matters related to provinces,” the statement added. The security czar has whipped up a political storm over the past few months since he called for the formation of new administrative units in the country, saying the current “system” of governance had “collapsed” and needed a “reset”.

Earlier this week, Naqvi reaffirmed his stance on the creation of new provinces or administrative units. He suggested that political parties should hold a referendum to gauge the public’s opinion on this matter, terming it the “solution” to the ongoing debate. More to follow