PPP, MQM-P Lock Horns Over Demand for New Provinces

KARACHI: Political tensions have intensified in Sindh after the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) exchanged sharp statements over the demand for creating new provinces.

Senior PPP leader and Sindh Local Government Minister Nasir Hussain Shah rejected calls for the division of Sindh, saying those advocating new provinces would face political isolation. He criticized MQM-P leaders Dr. Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui and Mustafa Kamal, arguing that Pakistan was already struggling to effectively manage its existing four provinces.

Nasir Shah also dismissed allegations that Sindh’s financial resources were being misused, urging MQM-P leaders to focus on the performance of their own federal ministries instead. He maintained that every citizen living in Sindh had equal ownership of the province and that attempts to divide it were unacceptable.

Meanwhile, MQM-P formally launched its campaign for a constitutional mechanism to establish new provinces during a public gathering in Shah Faisal Town, Karachi. Addressing the rally, Federal Minister Mustafa Kamal said the party’s movement was entirely constitutional and aimed at devolving administrative and financial powers to the grassroots level.

Kamal argued that creating provinces on administrative grounds would strengthen rather than divide the federation. He said Pakistan’s current governance structure had failed to deliver efficient public services and that meaningful constitutional reforms were needed to improve governance and empower local governments.

Criticizing the Sindh government’s performance, Kamal claimed that despite receiving trillions of rupees in federal transfers over the past 18 years, Karachi and other parts of Sindh continued to suffer from poor civic infrastructure and inadequate public services. He added that granting Karachi greater administrative and financial autonomy would significantly boost its contribution to the national economy.

Other MQM-P leaders, including Anees Kaimkhani, Furqan Atayyab, and MNA Aasia Ishaq, also addressed the gathering, calling for stronger local governments and administrative reforms. The PPP, however, reiterated that it would continue to oppose any proposal that could lead to the division of Sindh.