President of the Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party (IPP) Abdul Aleem Khan has said that any new provinces should be created on the basis of administrative needs rather than linguistic or cultural considerations.
In a statement, Aleem Khan welcomed what he described as positive thinking among political leaders from different parties on the issue of creating new provinces. He said the matter was not the agenda of any single political party but an issue concerning the future of the country and its people.
He said political differences were part of democracy, but political parties should engage in serious debate on the issue. According to Aleem Khan, the Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa assemblies had already passed resolutions supporting the creation of new provinces.
Aleem Khan pointed out that the rural and urban quota system has been in place in Sindh since 1972, arguing that new administrative units could help resolve public problems more efficiently. He said Pakistan's administrative structure needs to be reviewed according to the country's changing requirements after eight decades.
The IPP president said his party had already supported the demand for a Hazara province in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He added that he was willing to meet all stakeholders and listen to their views on the issue, stressing that political point-scoring would neither move the country forward nor solve public problems.
