ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader and former federal minister Khawaja Saad Rafique has called for the establishment of an elected parliament before the creation of smaller provinces, warning that the state’s writ should not come at the expense of citizens’ rights.
Addressing a National Policy Dialogue in Islamabad, Rafique said the previous government had remained focused on putting people in jail. He said Pakistan was a nuclear power and believed it could create a path forward by suppressing its opponents.
Speaking about the division of provinces, Rafique said he was openly in favour of smaller provinces, but any such process should involve everyone. He said Punjab had been divided many times and was still prepared for it, while clarifying that this was his personal opinion.
Discussing democracy in Pakistan, the PML-N leader said the country had witnessed several declared and undeclared martial laws. He also said every political party had become the property of a single family, questioning how democracy could be delivered when a party was controlled by one family.
On elections, Rafique said votes in the country went to one person while someone else ended up being elected.
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“Do not eliminate the writ of citizens while establishing the writ of the state,” he said.
خواجہ سعد رفیق آج اخیر کرگئے، نئے صوبوں پر ایسی گفتگو شایدکسی نے نہ کی ہو @KhSaad_Rafique pic.twitter.com/Rb4dMYZEow
— Tabsara Digital (@TabsaraDigital) September 5, 2026
Rafique said an elected parliament should be established first, followed by the creation of smaller provinces, and called for an end to turning parliamentary democracy into parliamentary dictatorship. He added that creating as many smaller provinces as possible would serve no purpose if violations of the Constitution continued.
The PML-N leader also expressed concern over the law and order situation in Balochistan, saying it was before everyone’s eyes, and warned against a situation in Azad Kashmir developing along the lines of Balochistan.
