The resolution follows recent remarks by Mustafa Kamal, calling for federal control and economic capital status for Karachi
KARACHI:
The Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) on Sunday condemned a resolution passed by the Sindh Assembly rejecting the creation of a new province, calling it “contrary to the Constitution of Pakistan” and a threat to national unity.
The Sindh Assembly had a day earlier passed a resolution declaring that Karachi “is and will remain” an integral and inseparable part of Sindh, amid renewed debate over the constitutional status of the city.
The resolution, presented by Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), follows recent remarks by MQM-P leader and Health Minister Mustafa Kamal, who called for Karachi to be declared the economic capital of Pakistan and brought under federal control.
Kamal argued that the city had paid an “unbearable price” for political compromises made elsewhere and demanded that it be declared a federal territory under Articles 148 and 149 of the Constitution. He also called for Karachi to be officially recognized as the economic capital of the country within the existing constitutional framework.
Addressing a press conference in Karachi, MQM-P leader Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui said Pakistan had entered a “decisive phase” and urged lawmakers to respect the Constitution.
He questioned whether a provincial assembly had the power to adopt measures contrary to constitutional provisions and accused the Sindh Assembly of acting as if it was above the law.
Siddiqui rejected separatist ideas, saying “Pakistan is our homeland” and adding that any concept of Sindhudesh would not succeed as long as the MQM-P existed.
He accused the PPP of introducing the resolution out of political fear and seeking to retain power through what he described as a “manufactured majority” and faulty census figures.
Siddiqui further claimed that Karachi’s population was underestimated by 37% in the last census and called for a recount under the supervision of the Pakistan Army, saying accurate data could reshape Sindh’s political and economic future.
“MQM has never taken any action against Pakistan. The party’s founder once raised a slogan, but we have abandoned it long ago. Our primary loyalty is to Pakistan,” he said. “Although Sindh is the richest province in the country, it is also the one experiencing the greatest increase in poverty,” he added.
Siddiqui accused the provincial government of misusing federal funds and said that of the Rs 30 trillion received from Islamabad, at least half should have been allocated to Karachi.
Citing Articles 239(4) and 140-A of the Constitution, he said the law authorized the creation of new provinces and empowered local governments. He accused the PPP of not having applied these provisions, in particular by not delegating powers to the elected mayor.
“Any attempt to divide the country along linguistic, ethnic or provincial lines will be firmly opposed,” he said.
PPP Response
Reacting to the MQM-P press conference, senior PPP leader Sharjeel Inam Memon described it as a “clear demonstration of their lack of knowledge and ignorance of the Constitution of Pakistan”.
Memon said Siddiqui and Kamal, both federal ministers, had not sufficiently studied the Constitution or relevant laws. “If they had, they would have refrained from making such irresponsible statements,” he said, questioning whether their comments reflected official federal government policy.
He urged the federal government to clarify why two of its ministers and an allied party were, in his words, engaged in propaganda against the Sindh government.
Memon also said that the Governor’s House was a constitutional institution and should not be used for political confrontation against the provincial administration. “It is not wise to create tensions between the federation and the provinces at such a critical time,” he said, demanding immediate clarification from federal authorities.
