The governors of Balochistan, Punjab and Gilgit-Baltistan have met at Governor House in Lahore to discuss national unity, relations between the federation and the provinces, and closer academic ties between medical universities in Punjab and Balochistan.

Balochistan Governor Jaffar Khan Mandokhail met Punjab Governor Sardar Saleem Haider Khan at Governor House Lahore, with Gilgit-Baltistan Governor Syed Mehdi Shah also present, according to reports of the meeting published on 7 and 8 November.

What the governors discussed

The meeting covered the country's political situation, cordial relations between the federal government and the provinces, inter-provincial cooperation and national unity, along with other matters of mutual interest, the reports said.

The governors also discussed academic and research collaboration between medical universities in Punjab and Balochistan, according to Radio Pakistan. No specific universities were named in the reports of the meeting, and no agreement was announced. The reports did not say what form the collaboration would take, which institutions would take part, or when any joint work would begin.

Governor Mandokhail invited Governor Haider Khan to visit Quetta, aiming to strengthen cooperation between the two provinces and to promote practical progress in education and development-related matters.

Call for unity among federating units

According to the official account of the meeting, Mr Mandokhail said strong relations, mutual trust and collective efforts among all federating units were essential for Pakistan's progress, stability and prosperity.

The three governors are the ceremonial heads of their provinces, and their meeting carried no legislative power. Its significance lay in the public show of coordination between provinces at a time when relations between the federation and the provinces are under strain.

The venue

The meeting was held at Governor House Lahore, the official residence of the Governor of Punjab, on Mall Road in the provincial capital. Mr Haider Khan is the current Governor of Punjab, while Mr Mandokhail holds the same office in Balochistan and Mr Shah in Gilgit-Baltistan.

The governors' offices are largely ceremonial, with executive power resting with the elected chief ministers and the federal government. Meetings of this kind are therefore read mainly as signals of coordination between the provinces, rather than as decision-making forums.

Meeting comes amid KP emergency

The meeting took place while the federal government continues to administer Khyber Pakhtunkhwa under emergency and governor's rule, a step the government says was taken because of security concerns and the provincial government's disengagement from the fight against terrorism.

The governors' discussion of federal-provincial relations comes against that backdrop, although the reports of the Lahore meeting did not say whether the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa situation was raised directly.

No date was given for Governor Haider Khan's proposed visit to Quetta, and no further meetings were announced.