Key Takeaways
- President Asif Ali Zardari has cut short his London visit.
- The decision was influenced by political developments, particularly regarding new provinces.
- Bilawal and Bakhtawar Bhutto Zardari will remain in London for about a week.
President Asif Ali Zardari has returned to Pakistan today, cutting short his planned stay in London. According to sources within the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), the decision was made after the proposal to create new provinces and administrative units in the country was placed on the backburner due to strong opposition from the PPP.
The issue gained further momentum when Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal proposed dividing Pakistan into 12 to 15 provinces and called for a national political dialogue on restructuring the country’s administrative system. The PPP, a key ally of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), has strongly opposed any proposal to divide Sindh, maintaining that the creation of any new province must be carried out according to the procedures laid out in the constitution and must be backed by political consensus and public support.
President Zardari had planned to stay in London for another three to four days after his private visit to Vienna. He arrived in London from Vienna on September 1 and was accompanied by former federal minister Dr Asim Hussain and Senator Saleem Mandvi-walla. The PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Bakhtawar Bhutto Zardari joined their father in London two days later, and both are expected to remain in the British capital for about another week.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi met President Zardari in London to discuss the creation of new provinces. However, the proposal failed to gain support during a previous speech in Lahore. Sources say that Naqvi assured the President that any new administrative units would be created only with political consensus and the consent of the people.
PPP Secretary General Nayyar Hussain Bokhari stated that President Zardari had travelled to London for a medical checkup and that there was no political purpose behind the visit. However, sources suggest that his return may signal his engagement at home over the intensified political debate on the issue.
The family’s stay in Austria also triggered media reports that President Zardari had travelled there to discuss a possible marriage proposal for Bilawal with a prominent European family. Bilawal, however, rejected these reports, stating that no engagement or marriage had taken place and that any decision regarding his personal life would be announced by his family.
Sources maintain that President Zardari’s return to Pakistan may be linked to the PPP’s strong opposition to the proposal to divide Sindh into new provinces. The PPP maintains that any such proposal must be carried out according to the constitution and must be backed by political consensus and public support.
