Sindh Assembly passes resolution rejecting calls to separate Karachi from province

The Sindh Assembly on Saturday passed a resolution declaring that Karachi was and would remain an integral and inseparable part of the province amid renewed debate over the city’s constitutional status.

The resolution, tabled by Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, came as Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) leader and Health Minister Mustafa Kamal last month called for Karachi to be declared Pakistan’s economic capital and brought under federal control, arguing that the metropolis had paid an “unbearable price” for political commitments made elsewhere.

Kamal had demanded that Karachi be declared a federal territory under Articles 148 and 149 of the Constitution and formally recognized as the economic capital of the country within the existing constitutional framework.

The assembly session, chaired by Speaker Syed Owais Qadir Shah, adopted the resolution, which stated that any attempt to partition Sindh or create a separate province comprising Karachi would be contrary to history, the Constitution and democratic values, and a threat to national unity and federal structure.

Presenting the resolution, the prime minister said that discussions had been held in certain quarters regarding separation of Karachi from Sindh, which he strongly condemned. He said Pakistan was created by Sindh and expressed hope that members of all parties would support the motion.

He clarified that the resolution does not name any person or political party.

Read: From tragedy to blame, MQM and PPP exchange fire over Karachi governance

The text described Sindh not simply as an administrative unit but as one of the world’s oldest living civilizations (the land of Mohenjo Daro and the cradle of the Indus Valley civilization) with a distinctive cultural and historical identity that preceded modern political boundaries.

He noted that Karachi, historically known as Kolachi, emerged from the soil of Sindh and remained its port, commercial hub and gateway to the world even after becoming the country’s first capital in 1947.

Referring to the separation of Sindh from the Bombay Presidency in 1936 and the Pakistan Resolution passed by the Sindh Assembly in 1943, the resolution said that the province had played a vital role in the creation of the country and could not allow the division of its historical land.

He further cited the resistance to the One Unit plan in 1955 and the restoration of the separate status of Sindh in 1970 as examples of public determination, adding that under Article 239 of the 1973 Constitution, provincial boundaries could not be changed without a two-thirds majority.

The resolution described Karachi as Pakistan’s economic lifeline and warned that any move to separate it from Sindh would undermine national unity and the federal structure.

“This House unequivocally condemns and rejects any conspiracy aimed at the division of Sindh or the creation of a separate province comprising Karachi,” the resolution states, declaring that Karachi is, and will forever remain, an integral and inseparable part of Sindh.

The resolution reaffirmed that the unity, territorial integrity and historical identity of Sindh were sacred mandates inherited from the ancestors and would be upheld by constitutional, democratic and political means.

He urged all political actors to refrain from divisive rhetoric or actions that could threaten provincial harmony and national cohesion.

“The House stands united, across party lines, in defense of the integrity, dignity and unbreakable legacy of Sindh,” the resolution states.

Members of both the Treasury and the opposition spoke during the debate.

Local government minister Syed Nasir Hussain Shah supported the motion and said historical claims that Karachi had never been part of Sindh distorted facts. He asked whether the division of Sindh should be discussed simply because no roads or sewage lines had been built.

Saadia Javed of the PPP also supported the resolution and criticized what she called divisive rhetoric.

He alleged that inflammatory comments had been made at the Governor’s House and questioned why the governor was taking Karachi towards ethnic divisions. He demanded that anyone who advocates the division of the province be removed from office.

Shabbir Qureshi of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) supported the resolution but questioned the persistent urban-rural distinctions, while Aamir Siddiqui and Moeed Mehboob of the MQM opposed it, arguing that discussing the governance of Karachi should not be treated as a conspiracy.

PTI’s Bilal Jadoon backed the resolution and said division of Sindh was unacceptable but called for equal rights in all cities.

Responding to the criticism, the prime minister said the resolution did not violate the Constitution and was only aimed at opposing any move to divide Sindh. He recalled that in 2019 a similar resolution was unanimously approved.

Chief Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon also backed the motion and rejected calls to bring Karachi under federal control.

However, opposition leader Ali Khurshidi expressed concern about what he described as a growing atmosphere of dictation.

Referring to the recently passed resolution condemning conspiracies, he questioned what conspiracy was really afoot. “Karachi is the capital of Sindh. First you broke Karachi, then you divided Malir to create Korangi. You are the ones who broke Sindh,” he said.

He criticized those who had held power for 18 years, saying: “There are 50,000 children enrolled in the governor’s IT program, so the pain is real.”

Khurshidi added that discussions on the future of Karachi had taken place at the Governor’s House and that even Sindhi-speaking officials acknowledged that Karachi had been destroyed.

Calling the official narrative a façade, he said: “The PPP is supposed to be a national party, but today it looks more like a nationalist party.”