Plan for new provinces faces political minefield

CARVING out new provinces appears to be a gigantic task for the government, one for which the incumbent setup seems “unprepared”, and has yet to build consensus among the country’s political forces. Political parties, meanwhile, have urged the government to follow the procedure prescribed in the Constitution for the creation of new administrative units, warning that any attempt to bypass the constitutional process could trigger a severe backlash that the government can ill afford. Minister of State for Law and Justice Barrister Aqeel, while talking to Dawn at Parliament House, confirmed the government’s intention to create new provinces, saying: “First, all political parties will be taken…