KARACHI
\nMuttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) Chairman Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui on Sunday called for a national dialogue on the creation of new provinces, saying Pakistan\u2019s existing administrative structure no longer corresponds to the country\u2019s demographic realities and governance requirements.
\nThe call comes amid a renewed debate on administrative reforms after Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi proposed last month the creation of new administrative units, arguing that Pakistan\u2019s \u201ccollapsed\u201d governance structure requires restructuring to meet growing administrative challenges.
\nSiddiqui, addressing a press conference alongside senior MQM-P leaders Dr Farooq Sattar and Mustafa Kamal in Karachi, urged political parties to rise above partisan differences and build a consensus on administrative reforms. He argued that the issue should be addressed through an inclusive national discussion rather than political confrontation.
\nHe said support for the proposal was growing across the political spectrum, adding that MQM-P was prepared to engage with all stakeholders to develop a framework for the establishment of new provinces where they were needed. Siddiqui maintained that Pakistan\u2019s provinces were originally formed on linguistic considerations and had since evolved into large administrative units.
\nDespite substantial population growth over the decades, he said, successive governments had created numerous districts while avoiding a broader debate on provincial reorganisation. \u201cThe effects of not creating new provinces should also be discussed,\u201d he said, arguing that administrative boundaries should reflect population size and governance needs. He added that Sindh was among the regions where the demand for additional administrative units was most pronounced.
\nThe MQM-P chairman rejected the notion that advocating new provinces was controversial, noting that the Constitution itself contains provisions relating to the creation of provinces. \u201cIf it is considered an act of disloyalty, then why does the Constitution provide for it?\u201d he asked. Referring to the 18th Constitutional Amendment, Siddiqui said his party supported the reforms to ensure that the benefits of democracy reached all parts of the country.
\nHe argued, however, that the objectives of decentralisation could not be fully realised without strengthening administrative structures at the provincial level. He said MQM-P had already introduced a constitutional bill on the issue, which remains before a parliamentary standing committee, and recalled that the party had previously sought judicial intervention when progress stalled.
\nSiddiqui said MQM-P would continue supporting calls for new provinces from different parts of the country and remained open to dialogue with all political parties. He also indicated that the party could again approach the Supreme Court if constitutional and legal obligations regarding the matter remained unfulfilled.
\nKamal said that the creation of additional administrative units was not aimed against any ethnic group, including Sindhis, but was intended to improve governance and public representation. He said a more decentralised administrative structure would give citizens greater influence over local governance and strengthen accountability. Addressing the presser, Sattar said the establishment of additional administrative units has become essential for the country\u2019s stability and cohesion.
\nHe was of the view that bringing governance closer to citizens would improve public participation, enhance service delivery and ensure that local leadership emerged from the areas it represented. The proposal has, however, elicited mixed reactions across the political spectrum. The Pakistan People\u2019s Party (PPP), which governs Sindh and is a key coalition partner of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), has firmly opposed the creation of new provinces.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
KARACHI Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) Chairman Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui on Sunday called for a national dialogue on the creation of new provinces, saying Pakistan\u2019s existing administrative structure no longer corresponds to the country\u2019s demographic realities and governance requirements. The call comes amid a renewed debate on administrative reforms after Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi proposed last …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":101708,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[75],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-101701","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-top"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/101701","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=101701"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/101701\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":101718,"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/101701\/revisions\/101718"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/101708"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=101701"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=101701"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=101701"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}