Creation of new province in Sindh: Move could threaten stability, ethnic harmony: Saeed

KARACHI: Sindh Labour Minister Saeed Ghani on Sunday warned against, what he called the politics of hatred after the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) renewed demands for the creation of a new province in Sindh.

The move could threaten political stability and ethnic harmony, he said in his statement in response to the press conference by the Convener of Muttahida Quami Movement-Pakistan, Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddique.

Saeed Ghani said the question of dividing Sindh could only be decided by the people of the province through the constitutional process, arguing that the provincial assembly would first have to approve any such proposal by a two-thirds majority before Parliament could amend the Constitution.

“The people of Sindh have the right to decide whether Sindh should be divided.”

His remarks came after MQM-P Chief Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui called for renewed debate on the creation of new provinces, including a separate province in Sindh.

Saeed Ghani accused the MQM-P leadership of reviving a divisive political narrative and said virtually all major political parties in Sindh opposed the creation of another province.

He also rejected Siddiqui’s argument that allowing the existing provincial assembly to decide on the division of Sindh represented a conflict of interest.

“If a new province is to be created in Punjab, the people of Sindh should decide it?” Ghani said, describing the argument as strange and nonsensical. He said the same constitutional principle should apply to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.

He contrasted Sindh with Punjab, where he said provincial lawmakers had previously endorsed proposals for new provinces, including Bahawalpur and South Punjab.

“If the people of Punjab and the Punjab Assembly have no objection, neither I nor anyone else has the right to decide for them,” he said.

The Minister warned that attempts to force a territorial or political settlement on Sindh could have dangerous consequences in a country already facing political tensions.

“Pakistan needs political stability and national unity,” he said, warning that efforts to deepen ethnic divisions could trigger unrest and cause “irreparable damage” to the country.

Saeed Ghani also hit out at the MQM-P’s criticism of Karachi’s deteriorating roads, sewerage infrastructure and access to clean drinking water, acknowledging the problems but accusing the party of using them to fuel political resentment against the Pakistan Peoples Party-led Sindh government.

He further revived allegations concerning the MQM’s violent past, including strikes, extortion and attacks on businesses, while accusing its current leadership of attempting to return Karachi to a politics of confrontation.

The MQM-P has long argued that Karachi and other urban areas of Sindh have been politically and administratively marginalised and has periodically demanded greater autonomy or a separate province.

Ghani urged the party to challenge the PPP government through democratic and constitutional means but warned it against turning political opposition into ethnic hostility.

“You can disagree with the PPP government and criticise us as much as you want,” he said. “But do not sacrifice the peace of Sindh and the love and harmony among its people at the altar of political hatred.”

He reiterated that if the people of Sindh ultimately chose to create another province, the decision should be respected — but insisted that no such change could legitimately be imposed against their will.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2026