PPP lawmakers oppose any division of Sindh, ‘Sindhudesh ideology’
KARACHI: The Sindh Assembly on Tuesday continued its debate for a second day on the creation of new administrative units, with ruling Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) lawmakers strongly opposing any division of Sindh and the Sindhudesh ideology, while Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) members argued that administrative reforms, devolution of powers and empowered local governments were essential for better governance.
The debate followed an adjournment motion moved by PPP member Nisar Ahmed Khuhro against the division of Sindh and creation of new provinces. Opening the government’s response, Local Government Minister Syed Nasir Hussain Shah said Khuhro had followed the constitutional procedure and urged all parties to jointly declare that Sindh would remain united. He proposed a resolution against both the division of Sindh and the Sindhudesh ideology.
Shah said all political parties, including the PPP and MQM, opposed dividing Sindh and played an audio clip of MQM leader Mustafa Kamal expressing opposition to the province’s division. He said the government was open to criticism of its performance and asked the opposition to point out its shortcomings.
Irrigation Minister Jam Khan Shoro said Sindh’s territorial unity could never be compromised, recalling that its historical boundaries had at times extended as far as Multan. He warned that the people of Sindh would resist any attempt to alter its boundaries and said those advocating its division were not well-wishers of Pakistan.
Culture Minister Zulfiqar Ali Shah said PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari had described Sindh as his mother and warned against reviving ethnic hatred. PPP member Samita Afzal called Sindh her “red line”, saying nobody from Karachi to Kashmore wanted it divided.
PPP lawmakers Hassan Ali Shah, Farooq Awan, Ijaz Shah, Ijaz Swati, Imtiaz Ahmed Sheikh and Jam Shabbir Ali also rejected the creation of a new province and stressed that Sindh’s unity was non-negotiable. Farooq Awan said the province needed education rather than division, while Ijaz Shah said Sindh would be defended “until the last drop of blood”.
PPP’s Jameel Ahmed Soomro said the people of Sindh had historically opposed both its division and federal control of Karachi. Referring to the One Unit system and G.M. Syed, he said nations could not be created through administrative decisions alone. He also criticised media owners and others for debating the creation of provinces, saying the Sindh Assembly was the relevant forum.
PPP member Nida Khuhro said creating a province involved much more than establishing a secretariat. It required a constitutional structure, legislature, bureaucracy and financial framework and would raise questions about political representation, assets, liabilities and resources. She said the government should instead strengthen local governments and fully implement Article 140-A.
MQM members who spoke said they did not seek the geographical division of Sindh but wanted administrative restructuring to improve governance. Iftikhar Alam of the MQM said Pakistan’s population had grown substantially and administrative needs had changed. He called for devolution of powers, better public services and fair distribution of resources, arguing that the issue should be viewed as an administrative reform rather than a political slogan.
Daniyal Ahmed said no MQM member had called for Sindh’s division and sarcastically criticized the government with the slogans: “We will die, but will not give education” and “We will die, but will not give health.”
Muhammad Maaz Mehboob of the MQM questioned what he described as “two systems” in Sindh, asking why e-challan was limited to Karachi and Hyderabad and why the provincial quota system had not been abolished. Another MQM legislator, Abdul Basit said the opposition was being silenced in the name of Sindh’s unity whenever it raised questions about bad governance and corruption.
Dr Fouzia Hameed of the MQM said the house should not fear discussing new administrative units and warned that demands for such units would continue if local governments were not empowered while Faheem Ahmed also supported the creation of new provinces as a means of promoting development.
MQM’s Engineer Usman proposed turning existing divisions into administrative units, noting that Karachi contained around 37 per cent of Sindh’s population. He argued that such units could improve resource distribution and provide greater political opportunities to people outside the traditional elite. MQM member Ijazul Haq said Sindhis were their brothers and rejected attempts to create ethnic divisions, while Taha Ahmed said the debate was essentially about corruption and governance rather than Sindh’s unity.
PTI-backed independent Owais Ahmed questioned the purpose of Khuhro’s motion and warned against attempts to create ethnic clashes among Muhajirs, Sindhis and Pashtuns. PTI member Sajjad Ali Soomro said the creation of provinces was a sensitive constitutional matter and the incumbent government had no right to create new provinces and Wajid Khan criticized the federal and provincial governments and accused the PPP of using the “Sindh card”. The session was adjourned until 1pm on Wednesday.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026