Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) Chairman Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui has urged political parties to put aside their individual interests and begin a nationwide dialogue on the creation of new provinces and administrative units.
Addressing a press conference at the party’s Bahadurabad headquarters alongside Mustafa Kamal, Farooq Sattar and Anis Kaimkhani, Siddiqui said the demand should be considered on the basis of the country’s administrative needs rather than partisan considerations.
He said several political parties were beginning to move closer to MQM-P’s position and called for broader consultations to determine where additional provinces were required.
According to Siddiqui, the strongest case for a new province exists in Sindh, although he stressed that the proposal was not limited to Karachi or the province.
The issue, he argued, concerned cities and regions throughout Pakistan and should be treated as a national governance question rather than an organisational or political demand of MQM-P.
Siddiqui pointed to Pakistan’s rapidly expanding population, saying the country had experienced substantial demographic growth without a corresponding increase in the number of provinces.
The MQM-P chairman also presented what he described as a proposed framework for establishing additional provinces and administrative units across Pakistan.
Referring to the 18th Constitutional Amendment, Siddiqui said MQM-P had supported its passage with the objective of making Article 140-A, which deals with local government, more effective.
Speaking at the same press conference, Mustafa Kamal said the party wanted a governance system capable of delivering effectively to citizens and argued that smaller administrative units could also empower people at the grassroots level, including farmers.
Kamal maintained that those responsible for governing Pakistan were aware that creating additional administrative units was necessary to improve governance.
He also criticised the Sindh government’s record, claiming that the province had received Rs22 trillion over the past 18 years while conditions in Karachi had continued to deteriorate.