- MQM-P begins campaign seeking new administrative province.
- Party convener says Karachi’s 17-year “occupation” must end.
- Sindh governor vows complete implementation of MQM-P demands.
KARACHI: Ahead of the anticipated constitutional changes under the 28th Amendment, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement–Pakistan (MQM-P) has revived its decades-old demand for a new province in Sindh, announcing a public mobilisation drive and legal measures to secure constitutional rights for the province’s urban population.
Addressing a press conference in Karachi along with the party’s top leadership on Thursday, MQM-P convener Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui warned that if parliament and the courts fail to deliver justice, the party would “take the struggle to the streets”.
Discussions regarding the 28th Amendment are underway, with Prime Minister’s Adviser on Political and Public Affairs Rana Sanaullah saying that it would be tabled once a consensus is achieved. He added that the proposed amendment would relate to local bodies, the National Finance Commission (NFC) and health matters.
Speaking to reporters, Siddiqui — who is also the federal education minister — said the demand for a new province is not MQM-P’s alone but a “constitutional requirement”, citing Article 239 that allows the creation of new provinces and districts.
“A province is an administrative unit — it must grow with population. This is the Constitution’s demand, not MQM-P’s,” he said.
“Karachi’s 17-year-long occupation must now end,” he said, adding that Pakistan suffers from a “feudal democracy” where those who contribute “100% are denied even 1% authority”.
He questioned Karachi’s population figures and what the city “receives in return”, warning that the city’s future was under attack, its master plan being converted “into corruption”.
Siddiqui also questioned whether those opposing new provinces in Sindh held the same position on Punjab. “Has the minister told whether he is against dividing Punjab as well?” he asked, while praising the Punjab Assembly for presenting Article 140-A.
He reiterated MQM-P’s commitment to resolving public issues, saying the party considered Pakistan as a mother and Sindh as its integral part. “Development’s enemies are rejected,” Siddiqui said, adding that the party would continue its struggle for empowered local governance and a fair administrative structure.
The party convener also criticised efforts to curtail local governments, saying Karachi and Hyderabad’s issues were being ignored despite MQM-P raising them in the assemblies and within the government.
“We struggled for Karachi’s master plan; we will continue to beautify and rebuild the city,” he said, adding that the party supported full implementation of the 18th Amendment, including Article 140-A on empowered local governments.
One political party, he further said, had opposed the MQM-P’s stance on the 26th Amendment, insisting the party had set only one condition: “Give people the constitutional rights already written for them.” He added that the population of Karachi and its share in resources needed to be publicly acknowledged.
Siddiqui also rejected claims that MQM-P steals credit for others’ work. “We are not in the business of hijacking achievements,” he remarked, adding that the party’s MNAs and MPAs are monitoring ongoing development in Karachi.
Sindh Governor Kamran Tessori, for his part, said the MQM-P had “fought for Karachi and Hyderabad and secured the package”, but argued that genuine relief would come only when the party “governs the province”.
He declared that he was “first an MQM worker, then the governor”, and vowed to ensure implementation of Siddiqui’s demands. “People are pleading — roads are broken, and no one listens,” he also said.
