Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah speaking at a ceremony marking the first anniversary of Marka-e-Haq in Karachi. SCREENGRAB
KARACHI:
Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah on Monday categorically rejected calls for dividing Sindh, saying decisions about the province’s future could only be taken by the elected representatives in the provincial assembly and not by businessmen, political rallies or television programmes.
Speaking on the floor of the House during a debate on an adjournment motion moved by PPP Sindh President Nisar Ahmed Khuhro against the division of Sindh, CM Shah said the province would remain intact. “The decision about the future of Sindh cannot be made by a few businessmen in Lahore. Only the members of the Sindh Assembly have the authority to decide the province’s future,” he added.
He pointed out that the provincial assembly had passed resolutions against the division of Sindh in 1948, 2000, 2014, 2019 and 2026. “If anyone has the courage, let them bring a resolution for dividing Sindh,” he said, adding that “as long as even one of us is alive, our province will not be divided”. CM Shah said the issue should be debated in the assembly and, if necessary, the House could pass another resolution against the division of Sindh.
He said the views of both sides should be heard, adding that the constitutional framework vested state authority in elected representatives. “A decision to divide Sindh cannot be made in a court, at a public gathering or on television. The Sindh Assembly is the proper forum for this debate,” he said.
The chief minister said PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari had made it clear that the party would respect the people’s wishes.
Speaker Awais Qadir Shah also told lawmakers that they could debate the issue as much as they wanted but “Sindh will always remain one”. He had suspended the assembly’s regular business to take up Khuhro’s adjournment motion.
‘Sindh not a political bargaining chip’
Opening the debate, Khuhro said he had moved the motion because he could not stop speeches being made outside the assembly calling for changes to the provincial structure. “I want to know who wants to divide our motherland and who wants to cut our body into pieces,” he said, describing Sindh as the “mother of Pakistan”. Khuhro criticised the discussion on new provinces at a recent businessmen’s conference in Islamabad, saying decisions concerning provinces should not be driven by business interests.
He recalled Sindh’s history, including its separation from the Bombay Presidency and the passage of the resolution supporting Pakistan from the Sindh Assembly. He also criticised the One Unit scheme of the 1950s, saying attempts were again being made to weaken Sindh.
Without naming the MQM-P, Khuhro alleged that calls for dividing Sindh were being used to conceal political differences and expressed concern over what he described as attempts to invoke the name of the armed forces in the debate. He added that a two-thirds majority in the assembly would ultimately decide any constitutional question concerning the province.
MQM-P pushes administrative units
MQM-P lawmakers, however, argued that the creation of new administrative units would not amount to dividing Sindh.
Party’s MPA Rehan Akram said the 1973 Constitution provided a procedure for creating provinces. He argued that the creation of new districts had not divided Karachi and that administrative restructuring would not necessarily divide Sindh. “We believe Sindh is one and will remain one. Creating administrative units does not mean dividing Sindh,” he added.
MQM-P’s Shariq Jamal said Sindh could have cities, districts and divisions, so there was no reason to oppose new administrative units.
He said the call for new provinces had not originated with the MQM-P but had also been raised by Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi. “If the people of Sindh want better governance, they will have to support us,” Jamal said.
Another MQM-P lawmaker, Adil Askari, criticised the PPP’s governance and questioned why repeated resolutions were being brought on the issue. He added that the MQM-P would not compromise on Sindh’s unity but called for administrative reforms and demanded that the census be conducted under military supervision. MQM-P lawmaker Amir Siddiqui said his party also considered itself part of Sindh and did not want the province divided. “But you have failed to resolve Sindh’s problems. You are hiding behind the popular vote,” he said, adding that Karachi had effectively been separated from Sindh through poor governance.
PPP lawmakers strongly opposed the MQM-P’s position.
PPP’s Raja Razzaq Baloch said he would not accept the division of Sindh and accused opponents of misleading people in the name of administrative units.
Fayyaz Butt said no son or daughter of Sindh would allow the province to be divided, while PPP lawmaker Dr Sikandar Shoro said they would continue defending Sindh “until the last drop of blood”. The debate remained inconclusive and the assembly was adjourned until 2pm on Tuesday.
MQM-P calls debate a ‘political victory’
Separately, MQM-P Deputy Parliamentary Leader Taha Ahmed thanked Khuhro for bringing the adjournment motion, calling the debate on new provinces and administrative units a “major political success” for his party. Speaking to reporters at the Sindh Assembly, Taha said the PPP had previously described discussion on new provinces and administrative units as unconstitutional and unlawful but was now itself providing lawmakers an opportunity to debate the issue.
