The resolution follows Mustafa Kamal’s recent remarks 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 “against the constitution of Pakistan” and a threat to national unity.
The Sindh Assembly 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 city’s constitutional status.
The resolution, tabled by Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), followed recent remarks by MQM-P leader and Health Minister Mustafa Kamal, who called for Karachi to be declared Pakistan’s economic capital and placed under federal control.
Kamal claimed 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 formally recognized as the country’s economic capital within the existing constitutional framework.
Addressing a press conference in Karachi, MQM-P convener 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 pass measures contrary to constitutional provisions and accused the Sindh Assembly of behaving as if it was above the law.
Rejecting separatist ideas, Siddiqui said “Pakistan is our motherland” and added 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 of seeking to retain power through what he described as a “fabricated majority” and flawed census figures.
Siddiqui further claimed that Karachi’s population had been undercounted by 37% in the last census and called for a fresh count under the supervision of the Pakistan Army, saying accurate data could reshape Sindh’s political and economic future.
“MQM has never taken any step against Pakistan. The founder of the party once raised a slogan but we have long abandoned him. Our first and foremost loyalty is to Pakistan,” he said. “Although Sindh is the country’s richest province, it has also seen the highest increase in poverty,” he added.
Siddiqui accused the provincial government of misusing federal funds and said that of the Rs30 trillion received from Islamabad, at least half should have been allocated to Karachi.
Referring to Article 239(4) and 140-A of the Constitution, he said the Act allowed the creation of new provinces and empowered local governments. He accused the PPP of failing to implement these provisions, including by not devolving powers to the elected mayor.
“Any attempt to divide the country on linguistic, ethnic or provincial lines will be strongly opposed,” he said.
PPP response
Reacting to the MQM-P press conference, senior PPP leader Sharjeel Inam Memon described it as a “clear display of their lack of knowledge and ignorance of the Constitution of Pakistan.”
Memon said Siddiqui and Kamal, both federal ministers, had not studied the Constitution or relevant laws adequately. “Had they done so, they would have refrained from making such irresponsible statements,” he said, questioning whether their remarks reflected official federal government policy.
He urged the federal government to clarify why two of its ministers and an allied party, in his words, were 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 unwise to create tension between the federation and the provinces at such a critical time,” he said, calling for immediate clarification from the federal authorities.
