Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi has proposed holding a referendum to seek public opinion on the creation of new provinces, saying all political parties have the right to express their views on the matter.
Addressing a press conference at the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) Lahore office, the minister said the proposal should not be pursued if people opposed the creation of new provinces. However, if they supported it, new provinces should be established accordingly, he added.
“The best solution is to seek the people’s opinion through a referendum,” Naqvi said.
The debate over creating new provinces in Pakistan has resurfaced amid calls for administrative restructuring, decentralisation of power and improved governance.
The issue gained renewed momentum in July 2026 after Naqvi called for the creation of additional administrative units, arguing that structural reforms were needed to address governance challenges.
Responding to a question about the political situation, he said all political parties, including the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), were entitled to their legal rights, and any relief granted by courts would be available to them.
The minister said various rumours had been circulating over the past couple of days about possible political developments, but there had been no extraordinary change in the situation.
Speaking about corruption, the minister said it existed across the country and must be acknowledged and addressed through evidence-based action. He said the government was also taking action against corruption within public sector institutions, disclosing that the NCCIA had arrested a Grade-17 government officer, while five major cases involving public sector institutions were under investigation.
Responding to a question about inappropriate content being circulated by social media bloggers, he urged people to avoid promoting such material and said action would be taken in accordance with the law.
Rejecting reports of differences among coalition partners, Mohsin Naqvi said the Pakistan Peoples Party, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, and other allied parties were important partners in the government.
All major decisions would be taken through consensus, and efforts would be made to prevent differences being portrayed as divisions within the coalition, he added.
Meanwhile, the minister announced that the facility to lodge cybercrime complaints through NADRA’s Pak ID platform would be launched soon. The initiative would ensure that every complaint was digitally recorded, enabling authorities to track its progress and monitor the action taken, he added.
He said a meeting with the prime minister was scheduled for next week to brief him on the NCCIA’s resources and requirements. Highlighting the shortage of staff, he said the agency had only 61 personnel, ranging from drivers and constables to the Director Punjab, for a population of 140 million.
Naqvi disclosed that the NCCIA had uncovered a major gang involved in facilitating approximately 5,000 Pakistanis to pass examinations of international educational institutions through fraudulent means.
He said action would be taken against the network as well as the 5,000 Pakistanis who had obtained undue benefits through the scheme. He termed it a major scam whose timely detection had prevented potential damage to Pakistan’s interests.
The minister further said the National Centre for Missing and Child Abuse had arrested 15 individuals during the previous month for their alleged involvement in child exploitation and the distribution of pornographic content in Punjab, particularly Lahore. The suspects were reportedly connected with various international websites.
He added that several other cases, including an FBI-related case, a call centre case and a child exploitation case, had also been resolved.
Source: brecorder
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