KARACHI: The chairman of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan on Sunday called for a national dialogue on the creation of new provinces, saying the country’s existing administrative structure no longer aligns with its demographic realities and governance needs.
Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, speaking at a news conference alongside senior party leaders Dr. Farooq Sattar and Mustafa Kamal, urged political parties to rise above partisan differences and build consensus on administrative reforms. He said the issue should be addressed through inclusive national discussion rather than political confrontation.
“The effects of not creating new provinces should also be discussed,” Siddiqui said, arguing that administrative boundaries should reflect population size and governance needs.
His remarks come after Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi proposed last month the creation of new administrative units, arguing that Pakistan’s governance structure requires restructuring to meet growing challenges. Naqvi later clarified that his comments about a “collapsed” governance structure referred to the gradual erosion of institutional capacity over eight decades, not the performance of the current government.
Siddiqui said support for the proposal was growing across the political spectrum and that MQM-P was prepared to engage with all stakeholders to develop a framework for establishing new provinces where they were needed. He noted that Pakistan’s provinces were originally formed on linguistic considerations and had since evolved into large administrative units, while successive governments created numerous districts without addressing broader provincial reorganisation.
He added that Sindh was among the regions where the demand for additional administrative units was most pronounced.
Rejecting the notion that advocating for new provinces was controversial, Siddiqui pointed to constitutional provisions allowing for their creation. “If it is considered an act of disloyalty, then why does the Constitution provide for it?” he asked.
Siddiqui 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. He indicated the party could approach the Supreme Court again if constitutional and legal obligations remained unfulfilled.
