PPP, MQM-P trade barbs over push for new provinces in Sindh

KARACHI: A fresh political confrontation has broken out in Sindh after the Pakistan Peoples Party sharply criticised Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan leaders for reviving their demand for new provinces, while MQM-P insisted its campaign was constitutional and aimed at devolving power to the grassroots.

Senior PPP leader and Sindh Local Government Minister Nasir Shah said those calling for the division of Sindh would face political isolation, and accused MQM-P leaders of raising the issue to distract from internal tensions within their party. Referring to Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui and Syed Mustafa Kamal, he said the country was already struggling to manage four administrative units and they were busy pursuing new provincial arrangements.

Shah also rejected allegations about Sindh's funds being diverted to Dubai and said those making such claims should first examine the performance of the federal ministries they head. He said those "touring Islamabad for federal ministries can't be true advocates of Sindh" and added that MQM-P was using the "province card" to hide its internal conflicts.

He further said, "Every citizen living in Sindh is an heir to this land; no land is abandoned or mutroka." He urged MQM-P leaders to focus instead on legislation and studying the Constitution.

MQM-P rally renews demand

The exchange came after MQM-P held a public meeting in Shah Faisal Town on Sunday evening, where senior leader and federal minister Mustafa Kamal formally launched what he called a decisive struggle to secure a clear constitutional mechanism for the creation of new provinces.

Addressing supporters at Eidgah Ground with a copy of the Constitution in hand, Kamal said, "We need to amend this Constitution to bring powers and resources to the doorstep of common people. The current system has failed; a system with one federation and four provinces is creating disillusionment." He said the party's struggle would remain within the framework of the Constitution and law.

Kamal argued that new provinces on administrative grounds would strengthen, not weaken, the federation. He said, "It connects and strengthens the federation. Adding floors to a house when a family grows does not break the home; it keeps the family together." He also said Pakistan's survival and security depended on changing the system through constitutional means.

Calling the gathering a voice for future generations, Kamal said MQM-P now represented "all oppressed citizens, including Sindhis, Mohajirs, Pakhtuns, Balochs, Punjabis and Seraikis" and added that rulers would no longer be able to govern by dividing people along ethnic lines.

Funds, powers and Karachi's role

Kamal linked the demand for structural change to local governance and public finances. He said the Sindh government had received Rs22 trillion from the federal government over the last 18 years, yet Karachi and the rest of the province remained in poor condition.

He said the problem was not a lack of federal transfers but the refusal of provincial governments to devolve power and money to the local level. "Four chief ministers sit on all the financial resources and refuse to devolve them to the local level," he said.

The MQM-P leader also said Karachi generated 70 per cent of the national revenue and claimed that with proper administrative and financial powers, the city could raise its contribution from Rs4,000 billion to Rs40,000 billion and help stabilise the national economy.

Sunday's mobilisation also reflected divisions within MQM-P, with party chairman Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui holding a separate rally in Mirpurkhas while Kamal's supporters gathered in Karachi. Senior leaders Anis Kaimkhani, Furqan Atayyab and MNA Aasia Ishaq were among those who addressed the Shah Faisal Town meeting.