Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman has warned against imposing decisions on the creation of new provinces without debate, while accusing successive policies of weakening Pakistan politically and economically. Addressing a Khatm-e-Nabuwwat conference at the Wahdat Road Cricket Ground in Lahore, Fazl said that September 6, 1965, marked an important episode in protecting Pakistan's geographical boundaries. He said the state could only be strong if its people were secure and respected, arguing that political divisions had weakened the country.

"We are not against creating units on principle," Fazl said, adding that decisions on new provinces should take into account the prevailing "time and circumstances". "We are not against provinces, but the time and circumstances must also be considered," he said, calling for debate rather than unilateral decisions. Fazl said the provinces controlled mineral resources under the 18th Amendment and political parties needed to play their role in discussions over the issue. "Do not impose any decision unilaterally; there should be a debate on it," he said.

Criticising major political parties, Fazl said the Pakistan Peoples Party talked about the issue only in the context of Sindh, while the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz remained silent. He accused political and social divisions of preventing Pakistan from developing a unified national identity, saying the country had failed to build one nation based on the Two-Nation Theory and had witnessed violence driven by ethnic divisions. The JUI-F chief also criticised Pakistan's economic dependence on foreign lenders, saying the country had built its economic foundations on external borrowing.

"Colonialism has ended, but international institutions decide for our country today," he said, referring to Pakistan's dependence on loans from the World Bank and International Monetary Fund. "If they determine our economic policies, then this is another form of colonialism," he said. The cleric said Pakistan belonged to its people and that peace and public security were essential to a strong state, warning that the country was instead facing division upon division. He also accused forces of dividing the Muslim world and said JUI-F wanted to provide Pakistan's poor with a life of dignity.