By Mehrab Shah Afridi
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan People’s Party leader Naveed Qamar asserted in the National Assembly that statements made by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz parliamentary leader Khawaja Asif regarding the 18th constitutional amendment should be interpreted as the party’s official position.
Qamar referenced Asif’s recent remarks on the Gul Plaza fire, in which he criticized the amendment and warned that efforts to recentralize municipal services could have serious repercussions for governance and provincial autonomy. “You have tried many experiments with the country, and with each one you have divided it further,” Qamar said, sharply condemning proposals to transfer provincial resources to the federal government.
The PPP leader urged the federal administration to focus on core constitutional responsibilities and the welfare of the public, rather than pursuing initiatives that he described as divisive experiments. The debate followed Asif’s address to the National Assembly, in which he expressed regret over the Gul Plaza tragedy and framed the 18th amendment as a “cover-up” for the failure to devolve authority effectively to local governments.
His comments appeared to reopen discussions about federal and provincial powers, a topic that has long been contentious in Pakistan’s political landscape. Federal Law Minister Azam Nazir Tarrar responded by stressing that individual opinions should be distinguished from official policy, suggesting that Asif’s statements reflected personal views rather than the government’s formal stance.
Nevertheless, Qamar insisted that Asif’s remarks carried political weight and signaled a clear policy direction, raising questions about the ruling party’s approach to decentralization and resource allocation. Analysts noted that the exchange highlighted persistent tensions between the federal and provincial levels over governance reforms and the management of public services.
