Parliament Will Have Final Say on New Provinces, Rana Sanaullah Says Amid Referendum Debate

On Friday, at a book festival at the Expo Centre in Lahore, the speaker of the Punjab Assembly stopped to talk with reporters and put a hard constitutional question on the table. Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan asked whether the rules for creating new provinces could become irrelevant if the people themselves vote for the idea in a referendum.

He was responding to a proposal from Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi to hold a referendum to gauge public opinion on new provinces. Mr Khan said the matter turned on the relationship between popular sovereignty and constitutional requirements, and that in the end it would be for the constitutional courts to interpret.

His argument began with the Constitution's treatment of sovereignty. He said the Constitution recognises the sovereignty of Almighty Allah, with the people exercising sovereign authority through that mandate. From there he posed a question: once the sovereign has spoken on an issue, can he, as their representative, negate what the people have said? In his view, the wishes of the people could not simply be set aside by those they elect.

He then turned to specific provisions, including Articles 236 and 237, which govern the creation of new provinces. The Constitution requires a resolution of the concerned provincial assembly in favour of a new province. Mr Khan asked what happens if the people of that province vote for the proposal directly. He offered Sindh as an example: if its people endorsed new provinces through a referendum, what would their elected representatives say then? He called it a significant constitutional debate and said the courts would have to decide how opinion expressed in a referendum fits with the existing requirements.

A different emphasis came from Rana Sanaullah, the Prime Minister's Adviser, who spoke to a private television channel. He maintained that parliament would have the final say on creating new provinces regardless of how any referendum turned out. The mechanism for a referendum, he said, including which forum would conduct it, had not yet been settled, and parliament would have to oversee the process.

Mr Sanaullah said parliament had not yet formally taken up the matter. Once it is brought before the house, he said, the government would issue a policy statement, and a debate would follow.

The Punjab Assembly speaker also spoke in favour of stronger local government. He said effective devolution of powers and financial resources to the grassroots was essential to address public grievances and improve delivery of services. A functional local government system, he said, backed by an effective Provincial Finance Commission, was needed so that resources reach communities and elected local representatives can play a meaningful part in democratic governance.

For now, the two positions sit side by side: one holding that parliament decides whatever a referendum shows, the other asking whether a popular vote could change how the constitutional requirements apply. The referendum's mechanism and forum remain open, and parliament has yet to take up the issue. A government policy statement and a debate are the next steps Mr Sanaullah described.