Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has ruled out any division of the province, saying its territorial integrity can only be decided by the Sindh Assembly as the provincial legislature opened a debate on the creation of new provinces and administrative units.
The debate was held on an adjournment motion moved by Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Sindh President and MPA Nisar Khuhro, seeking discussion on renewed calls for new provinces and administrative units that could affect the existing territorial boundaries of Sindh.
Addressing the assembly at the outset, CM Murad said the outcome of the debate was already clear: Sindh would remain united and would not be divided.
He said decisions concerning the province’s territorial integrity should be made through the constitutional forum of the provincial assembly rather than by businessmen, courts, public gatherings or television programmes.
Murad recalled that the Sindh Assembly had adopted resolutions opposing the division of the province in 1948, 2000, 2014, 2019 and 2026.
He said the government had allowed a detailed debate on the issue to ensure that all viewpoints could be presented on the floor of the House. He explained that an adjournment motion allowed regular business to be suspended so that matters of public importance could be discussed.
The chief minister said the PPP would continue to defend the unity and integrity of Sindh, adding that the assembly could pass another resolution against any proposal to divide the province if required.
Following his address, Speaker Syed Owais Qadir Shah suspended regular proceedings to facilitate debate on the motion, which had been admitted on Friday.
Moving the motion, Nisar Khuhro said discussions outside parliament could not be stopped but maintained that the people of Sindh had already expressed their position against the province’s division.
He criticised the discussion on new provinces at a recent businessmen’s conference in Islamabad, saying the issue should instead be debated through constitutional and parliamentary forums.
Khuhro also referred to Sindh’s history, including its separation from the Bombay Presidency and the province’s merger into the One Unit scheme in the 1950s. He said Sindh had remained one province and would continue to do so.
Members of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) also participated in the debate, arguing in favour of new administrative units while rejecting the notion that Sindh should be divided.
MQM-P lawmaker Rehan Akram said the 1973 Constitution provided a mechanism for the creation of new provinces. He argued that establishing additional administrative units would not necessarily amount to dividing Sindh.
Sharjeel Jamal said improved governance required administrative reforms and questioned why new administrative units could not be considered when Sindh already had cities, districts and divisions.
He also said the proposal for new provinces had been raised by Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi rather than the MQM-P.
MQM-P member Adil Askari questioned why the assembly had not adopted a resolution against calls for a separate Sindhudesh and suggested that Karachi South and Karachi West could be considered as administrative units.
Another MQM-P lawmaker, Aamir Siddiqui, said the party did not support dividing Sindh but criticised the PPP government for failing to address the province’s problems.
The Sindh Assembly was later adjourned until 2pm on Tuesday, when lawmakers from both sides are expected to continue the debate on the motion.
