The resolution follows recent comments 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 “against the Constitution of Pakistan” and a threat to national unity.
The Sindh Assembly, a day earlier, adopted 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, moved by Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), followed recent statements 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 commitments 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 economic capital of the country within the existing constitutional framework.
At a news conference in Karachi, MQM-P coordinator 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 authority to take measures contrary to constitutional provisions and accused the Sindh Assembly of acting as if it were above the law.
Siddiqui rejected separatist ideas, saying that “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 trying 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 that accurate data could reshape the political and economic future of Sindh.
“The MQM has never taken any step against Pakistan. The party’s founder once raised a slogan but we abandoned it long ago. Our first and foremost loyalty is towards Pakistan,” he said. “Although Sindh is the richest province in the country, it has also seen the largest increase in poverty,” he added.
Siddiqui accused the provincial government of misappropriating federal funds and said that of the Rs 30 billion 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 allowed the creation of new provinces and empowered local governments. He accused the PPP of failing to implement these provisions, including by not delegating powers to the elected mayor.
“Any attempt to divide the country along linguistic, ethnic or provincial lines will be strongly opposed,” he said.
PPP response
Reacting to the MQM-P’s press conference, 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 properly studied the Constitution and relevant laws. “If they had, they would have refrained from making such irresponsible statements,” he said, questioning whether his 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, involved in propaganda against the Sindh government.
Memon also said the Governor House was a constitutional institution and should not be used for political confrontation against the provincial administration. “It is not prudent to create tensions between the federation and the provinces at such a critical time,” he said, asking for immediate clarification from federal authorities.
