• Muttahida, PTI say administrative reforms must not be equated with dividing province
• LG minister urges house to adopt unanimous resolution rejecting division of Sindh and slogan of ‘Sindhudesh’

KARACHI: Despite sharp differences over the creation of new administrative units in Sindh, members of both the treasury and opposition benches in the Sindh Assembly on Tuesday agreed that the province’s geographical unity should not be compromised and that any debate on administrative reforms must remain within constitutional limits.

Opposition members from Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) and Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) said no one had demanded changing Sindh’s geographical boundaries, and that the proposal for new administrative units must not be linked to dividing the province.

As many as 26 members from the two sides of the aisle delivered speeches on the adjournment motion related to the proposal of new provinces and administrative units in the country, including Sindh, as Speaker Syed Awais Qadir Shah allotted 10 minutes to each member to speak on the issue. The PPP Sindh President and MPA Nisar Khurho had moved the motion.

Planning Minister Jam Khan Shoro said all members agreed on one point that Sindh would not be divided. “The unity of Sindh will never be questioned,” he said.

He said that there was no question of ceding even an inch of Sindh’s land, adding that there could be no compromise on Sindh’s geographical unity.

The minister said: “We welcome our Muhajir brothers. We consider them part of Sindh. We have said before that Muhajirs are our brothers and equal citizens of Sindh.”

He expressed hope that opposition members would support a resolution in favour of Sindh’s unity. “…PPP will be grateful to our friends in the opposition. We expect all opposition members to support the resolution on Sindh’s unity,” he said. He added that “all members in this house stood united like an iron wall on this issue”.

Local Government (LG) Minister Nasir Hussain Shah also urged the members to unanimously pass a resolution rejecting both the division of Sindh and the slogan of ‘Sindhudesh’, saying the house must send a clear message of unity.

He said: “Let us jointly pass a resolution. Let this house send a united message that on the issue of Sindh, we are all one.”

He also proposed that a separate resolution be brought on devolution and transfer of powers to the grassroots level. “We should come together and give a message for Sindh’s unity, for Pakistan, and for brotherhood,” he added.

The LG minister also played an audio recording of MQM-P leader Mustafa Kamal saying he was no longer in favour of dividing the province.

He said that the Muhajir community in Karachi, Sukkur and other cities was also part of Sindh and did not want division. “Urdu-speaking brothers and sisters live next to my house. There is only one wall between us. We share each other’s sorrows and joys,” he added.

The minister warned that “a small remark or a rumour can have far-reaching effects in society” and urged members to avoid hate and divisive talk. “Let us all send the message that Sindh will not be allowed to be divided,” he added.

PPP MPA Sumeta Afzal said that if the issue was good governance, then let the members from the two sides sit together and improve the local government system.

Meanwhile, PPP MPA Nida Khuhro said that Sindh was not available for political engineering. “Karachi is an integral part of Sindh,” she said.

Administrative units’ discussion should not be linked with division of Sindh

MQM-P’s Muhammad Daniyal said that the adjournment motion had sparked a issue was good governance, then let the members from the two sides sit together and improve the local government system.

Meanwhile, PPP MPA Nida Khuhro said that Sindh was not available for political engineering. “Karachi is an integral part of Sindh,” she said.

MQM-P’s Muhammad Daniyal said that the adjournment motion had sparked a debate on administrative units in Sindh and across Pakistan. “The issue being discussed is not about changing Sindh’s geographical boundaries or dividing the province,” he said, adding that the province was not a piece of paper that someone could put in their pocket. “Sindh was, Sindh is, and Sindh will always remain,” he said, stressing that the discussion on administrative units should not be linked with the division of Sindh.

He said that the words “division of Sindh” were being used repeatedly, even though no one was talking about division. “It is not correct for the treasury benches to create that impression,” he said.

Mr Daniyal asked the speaker to expunge the word “division” from the debate. “The creation of administrative units does not mean changing Sindh’s geographical boundaries. No one has demanded altering Sindh’s territorial unity,” he added.

Referring to governance models, he said California had a population of 39 million but 58 counties, 482 cities and 20 towns. “Sindh’s population is around 60 million, but it has only around 178 cities,” he said, adding that the need of the hour was to review the administrative structure.

He said that the solution to Sindh’s problems must be found on administrative grounds. “We are talking about a better system on administrative lines, not about division of Sindh,” he said.

The MQM-P lawmaker said that Sindh’s problems were not limited to Karachi. “We must also talk about the problems of the entire Sindh, including Larkana,” he said.

He added that with a better administrative system, the delivery of education, health, security and basic facilities could also improve.

MQM-P’s Iftikhar Alam said that the administrative structure of 1947 was not sufficient for today’s population. “Administra­tive reforms should be viewed as governance reforms, not political slogans,” he said.

Taha Ahmad Khan of MQM-P said the purpose of new administrative units was to deliver facilities to the common man. “We have never talked about changing Sindh’s territorial boundaries,” he said. He also criticised non-implementation of the Karachi Strategic Dev­elop­ment Plan 2020.

Muttahida, PPP urged to show responsibility

PTI’s Muhammad Owais said that lack of basic facilities was driving demands for administrative change.

Sajjad Soomro of PTI questioned the timing of the debate on a sensitive provincial issue. “The issue of new provinces is highly sensitive. It has caused tensions in the past”, he said, adding that the past conflicts between Sindhis and the Muhajir community were well known.

“God forbid if any untoward incident happens, who will take responsibility?” he asked, urging the PPP and MQM-P to show responsibility on sensitive issues. He said that instead of playing the Sindhi and Muhajir card, political parties should talk about public protection.

Mr Soomro said the country was already heavily in under debt and could not bear the burden of 12 provinces and 12 chief ministers.

The house was later adjourned to Wednesday.

Published in Dawn, September 2nd, 2026