Naqvi flies to Nawabshah for talks with Zardari

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi flew to Nawabshah on Thursday night and met President Asif Ali Zardari at Zardari House for about 59 minutes, a visit the presidency and the interior ministry have not explained and which sources link to proposals for new provinces, a possible referendum and action against the JUI-F.

No official statement has been issued on the agenda, the reported message or what the two discussed. The Express Tribune, Minute Mirror and Daily Times all reported the meeting on the strength of unnamed sources.

Naqvi landed at Nawabshah airport from Islamabad on a special aircraft. Sindh Home Minister Zia Ul Hassan Lanjar, Works and Services and Prisons Minister Haji Ali Hassan Zardari, Deputy Commissioner Abdul Samad Nizamani and SSP Dr Sameer Noor Channa received him. He was taken to Zardari House under tight security and flew back to Islamabad on the same aircraft afterwards.

Sources told the Express Tribune and Minute Mirror that Naqvi travelled on an urgent basis carrying a message from a senior national figure and sought to take the president into confidence on the issues under discussion. The reported agenda covered the creation of new administrative units, a referendum on the question and possible action against the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl.

Hours before the flight, Naqvi told reporters at the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency in Lahore that the parties should put the question to a referendum. "My only request to all political parties is that this is such an issue ... so they should hold a referendum," he said, adding that he would accept a public verdict either way. He said nothing would be done against the will of coalition partners, and that he and PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, who has called for a "political reset", were "nearly on the same page".

Asked about federal minister Chaudhry Salik's remarks on corruption in Punjab, Naqvi said corruption existed across the country and ending it was the government's responsibility. He defended a Capital Development Authority notice concerning the residence of the JUI-F chief, saying the campaign had run for months and was not directed at an individual.

Federal Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry said on a private television channel that consensus among parties was essential for creating new provinces and that national issues should be taken to the appropriate forums. He said the PTI had also supported the idea and urged it to join the Election Reforms Committee. Asked about the PTI founder's health, he said the best medical experts and facilities were being provided to him.