‘New provinces can be created only thru constitutional process’
KARACHI: Sindh Minister for Labour, Human Resources and Social Protection Saeed Ghani has said that new provinces cannot be created on anyone’s demand but only through the constitutional process, requiring the approval of a resolution by a two-thirds majority in the relevant provincial assembly.
He also asserted that Punjab ministers had effectively issued a “charge sheet” against their own federal government by criticising the functioning of Karachi Port.
Addressing a press conference on Saturday alongside Pakistan Peoples Party (Sindh) General Secretary Senator Syed Waqar Mehdi and TaimurSiyal, Ghani said the recent remarks by Punjab ministers reflected a lack of understanding of Sindh’s realities, suggesting they had perhaps never visited the province.
He noted that a delegation of young parliamentarians from Punjab had recently met Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, with one member from the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) reportedly acknowledging that Karachi was “nothing like it had been portrayed”.
Referring to criticism over Karachi Port’s revenues, Ghani said ports fall under the jurisdiction of the federal government, adding that raising such issues amounted to criticising the federal administration led by the PML-N itself.
He alleged that Punjab ministers viewed national issues only through the political lens of Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz.
Highlighting Sindh’s healthcare sector, Ghani described the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD) as one of the world’s largest cardiac hospitals, providing comprehensive heart treatment under one roof and offering free medical care to millions of patients every year, including those from across Pakistan.
He said that during the previous year alone, NICVD treated 4.14 million patients free of charge, including 119,000 patients from Punjab. He added that many Punjab residents also travelled to Sindh for heart transplant procedures, demonstrating the quality of healthcare available in the province.
Welcoming the establishment of a cardiac hospital in Sargodha, Ghani said more of such facilities should be set up across Pakistan.
However, he urged critics of Sindh’s health services to first examine NICVD’s achievements, saying its model of integrated cardiac care was unmatched anywhere in the world.
Turning to provincial finances, Ghani said Sindh had faced significant fiscal pressure in the latest budget but had managed to keep expenditure under control.
He said that Sindh had reduced its development budget by 29.2 per cent compared with 39.4 per cent in Punjab.
He said Punjab had increased its overall expenditures by 12 per cent.
The minister further claimed that despite Punjab being larger in both population and area, Sindh generated Rs676 billion from its own resources during the 2025–26 financial year, compared with Rs524 billion collected by Punjab.
Comparing housing initiatives, Ghani said Punjab was constructing homes through loan schemes, whereas the Sindh government was providing 2.1 million free houses, with ownership rights being granted to women.`
Responding to allegations regarding Karachi’s water supply, he said the city’s water shortage was not a recent issue.It had existed long before 2008.
He pointed out that Karachi was among the few cities in the world that sourced drinking water from 160 kilometres away, adding that the Supreme Court had authorised the operation of seven hydrants in the city.
On the issue of new provinces, Ghani reiterated that only provincial assemblies had the constitutional authority to approve such changes.
He said that not only the PPP but all elected representatives in Sindh opposed the creation of a new province in the province.
In contrast, he noted that the Senate had previously passed, with a two-thirds majority, a resolution supporting the creation of two new provinces in Punjab, followed by a similar resolution in the Punjab Assembly in 2012, reflecting demands within Punjab for administrative re-organization.
Talking about the PML-N, Ghani questioned the party’s democratic credentials, arguing that the PPP had sacrificed lives in the struggle against military dictatorships.
He said Zulfikar Ali Bhutto had refused to compromise with dictatorship at personal cost whereas Nawaz Sharif entered into an agreement with military rulers and spent 10 years abroad before returning to politics.
He said that former PML-N governments had faced accusations of electoral manipulation.
Claiming that “the PML-N had suffered a decisive defeat in the 2024 general elections”, he alleged that Nawaz Sharif, ShehbazSharif and Maryam Nawaz had come to power “through electoral rigging rather than public support”.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026