Bugti reaffirms support for creation of new provinces
Islamabad: Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti reiterated his support for the creation of new provinces on administrative rather than ethnic grounds, saying it was not possible to govern the entire province effectively from Quetta alone.
Speaking to journalists in Quetta, Bugti said any future provinces should be established on administrative considerations instead of linguistic or ethnic lines to improve governance.
Bugti's remarks come as discussions over Pakistan's administrative framework continue to gather momentum, with coalition partners the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) holding differing views on the establishment of new provinces or administrative units.
Bugti also said the country's civil and military leadership were united in their stance against terrorism, adding that there was no ambiguity or confusion over the state's policy.
He ruled out talks with those who take up arms against the state under any circumstances, stressing that terrorism was not an issue confined to a single province but a challenge facing the whole of Pakistan.
According to media reports, a high-level committee had submitted a draft proposal to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for a 27-member elected assembly for the Islamabad Capital Territory, headed by a chief executive and supported by 27 administrative departments.
