ISLAMABAD: The PPP’s Central Executive Committee (CEC) will deliberate on the matter of creating new administrative units, which should be created through the mechanism provided in the Constitution and by means of an executive order, the party’s secretary general Nayyar Bokhari said on Friday.

“The Constitution of Pakistan has clearly laid down the complete procedure. Without a two-thirds majority in the relevant provincial assembly, the National Assembly and the Senate, neither the creation of new provinces nor any alteration in provincial boundaries is possible,” he said while speaking to Dawn.

“New provinces cannot be created through an executive order. They can only be created through a constitutional decision of Parliament,” he added.

Bokhari’s statement comes a day after Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi echoed demands by multiple political parties for more provinces or administrative units. Those advocating for more administrative units view them as a way to improve governance.

The PPP, which is the ruling party in Sindh, has opposed the creation of any new administrative units in the province but has advocated for the creation of a South Punjab province.

Discussing the matter during his conversation with Dawn, Bokhari said, “If there is genuine seriousness about establishing new provinces, including South Punjab, the matter should be brought before Parliament and the constitutional requirements should be fulfilled.”

He called upon Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, who belongs to the ruling party in Punjab as well as at the Centre, to initiate the process of creating more administrative units from his own province.

The PPP secretary general also recalled that a resolution for the creation of a South Punjab province was pending in the Punjab Assembly.

Bokhari said federal ministers should raise the matter of creating new administrative units in the federal cabinet and, after obtaining its approval, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif should consult PPP Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on this “important national issue”.

He added that the PPP’s CEC would deliberate on the matter and “every decision will be taken with due regard to the Constitution, democracy and the will of the people”.

In the recent past, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) — an ally of the PML-N-led ruling coalition — has repeatedly demanded that Karachi be designated a province separate from Sindh. However, the PPP, which rules Sindh and is also an ally of the PML-N government at the Centre along with MQM-P, has strongly opposed the suggested move.

On the other hand, the PPP and the PTI have long advocated for a South Punjab province.

President of the Istehkam Pakistan Party (IPP) and Federal Communications Minister Abdul Aleem Khan had urged political parties to accept the need for smaller provinces, demanding that each of the four provinces be divided into four provinces each for a total of 16. He said this was an immediate and sustainable solution to the problems of people living in far-flung areas.

Addressing the Pakistan Economic Summit 2026 being held in Islamabad on Thursday, Interior Minister Naqvi said there was “only one solution” to improving the country’s overall condition: “You will have to take [the matter of] administrative units, provinces or whatever you may call it, to the public.”

He added, “All political parties should sit together in a single room, whether for a day, a month or a year. They will have to settle every issue of their country, including new units and provinces.”

“The system we are living under has collapsed. Problems cannot be solved through it,” he said. “If this system continues, we will still be sitting here 10 years from now discussing the same issues.”

He noted that only structural change could break the cycle and that a reset was necessary, while adding that Pakistan’s diplomatic efforts, even while being hailed globally, were “simply firefighting”.

Responding to Naqvi’s statement, Bokhari said that if there were flaws in the system, the appropriate forum to address them was Parliament, not the media.

“Who should be held responsible if the system is not functioning properly?” asked the PPP leader.

He said the country’s recent diplomatic successes were an asset for the entire nation, with Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir playing a key role in these successes.

The PPP leader added that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, and the interior minister had also fulfilled their respective responsibilities, adding that it was now the federal government’s responsibility to translate these diplomatic achievements into economic stability and public relief.

“If the economy does not improve, responsibility will rest with the federal government,” he declared.