President Asif Ali Zardari and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi held a meeting in London to discuss key national matters, with Zardari reiterating his position on the creation of new provinces, according to reports.
The one-on-one meeting lasted about an hour, during which Naqvi also conveyed an important message to the president, reports said.
Zardari stressed that all stakeholders would have to work together to move forward in the national interest, according to reports.
The president also maintained his position on various national issues, particularly the debate over the creation of new provinces.
No further details about the message conveyed by Naqvi or the specific issues discussed during the meeting were immediately available.
The debate over new provinces has intensified following calls from Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal for a major overhaul of Pakistan’s governance structure.
Iqbal has argued that the existing federal-provincial system has failed to deliver adequate social outcomes and said Pakistan should either create 15 additional provinces or establish 160 fully empowered district governments.
He also pointed to the lack of effective devolution to local governments, noting that while 17 subjects were transferred from the federal government to the provinces in 2010, the provinces did not devolve the same responsibilities to the local tier.
