Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi has proposed holding a nationwide referendum on the creation of new provinces in Pakistan, saying public opinion should decide an issue that has divided political parties and dominated debate in Islamabad for weeks.

Speaking to journalists at the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) in Lahore on Thursday, Naqvi said the views of all political parties were necessary, but the people's will must prevail. "If the people say new provinces should not be created, then I am with the people," he said.

"Let us hold a referendum and give people what they want, because we all talk about democracy. The people are supreme," the minister added, according to reports of his remarks. He said surveys were being conducted on the question and that people were demanding new provinces, but stressed that no new province should be created if voters opposed the idea.

What the 12-province proposal involves

The remarks come amid reports that a proposal to reorganise Pakistan into 12 provinces is under consideration, with a nationwide referendum envisaged ahead of a possible 28th Constitutional Amendment. Under the arrangement reported by The News, Punjab could be divided into four provinces, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan into three each, and Sindh into two.

Sources familiar with the proposal have said the amendment could be considered in the first half of 2027, with preparatory steps potentially beginning in the first quarter. However, no final decision has been taken on provincial boundaries, administrative structures or the constitutional process, and the proposal remains under consideration.

The stated aim of the restructuring is to improve governance, decentralise administrative authority and ensure a more equitable distribution of development resources. Supporters argue that too much power is concentrated in provincial capitals, leaving services and resources short of people at the grassroots level.

PPP opposition and the constitutional route

The proposal faces firm opposition from the Pakistan Peoples Party, which strongly opposes the creation of new provinces in Sindh, its political stronghold. Addressing a ceremony in Larkana on Monday, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari called for a "political reset" rather than new provinces amid prevailing economic hardships.

Naqvi acknowledged the PPP's position and said all parties, including the PPP and the PML-N, were important for the government. "The PML-N and all of us are together," he said, adding that nothing would be decided through disagreement. "If everyone agrees, everything will happen."

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif had earlier backed the idea, saying even 12 provinces could be considered, provided they are established on administrative rather than ethnic or political grounds. He said the proposal had been under discussion for the past two months.

Constitutional experts note that gauging public opinion and formally creating a province are two separate stages. Under Article 48(6) of the Constitution, parliamentary approval is required to hold a referendum on a matter of national importance, while Article 239 requires a two-thirds majority in the relevant provincial assembly for changes to provincial boundaries.

Naqvi on cybercrime and corruption

Naqvi also used the Lahore visit to set out plans for the NCCIA, saying its complaint cell is being moved onto the Pak ID platform and that he will brief the prime minister on the agency's resources next week. He said the agency had taken timely action against suspects who blackmailed girls, arresting them within hours, and declared "zero tolerance" for such crimes.

He said women were the target in most online fraud cases and that the NCCIA has only 61 personnel in Punjab, with staffing to be increased and shortages addressed in all zones, including Lahore. "It is our responsibility to eradicate corruption from the country," he said, adding that action had been taken against corrupt elements in the interior ministry and urging people to point out corruption wherever they found it.