Pakistan People’s Party chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said on Tuesday that the Sindh Assembly had closed the discussion on creating new provinces. Speaking in Karachi, he urged the federal government to work with the provincial government and the city’s local administration to tackle Karachi’s problems.
His comments came when he was asked about repeated calls for new provinces. “The Sindh Assembly has put a full stop to this conversation,” he said, as the issue remains a live political debate over the country’s administrative structure.
Sindh Assembly resolution rejects dividing the province
On September 3, the provincial assembly passed a resolution by majority vote opposing the creation of new provinces and administrative units in Sindh. PPP leader Nisar Ahmed Khuhro presented the motion, which says the assembly “categorically and unequivocally rejects” any proposal to divide Sindh or create a new province.
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Earlier, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi had backed the creation of new administrative units. He argued that no individual or political party could block them if they reflected the will of the public. Bilawal had also called for a National Assembly debate on governance problems, saying the focus should be on fixing flaws in the system rather than simply proposing new provinces.
Karachi’s needs and a railway police dispute
Bilawal described Karachi as Pakistan’s economic hub and said it needs coordinated action from the federal government, the Sindh government, the mayor and other institutions responsible for running the city. He said the Sindh government and Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab were working on the city’s problems. He accused federal representatives of showing little interest in Karachi’s development, and alleged that some of them were promoting divisive politics and hatred among residents instead of delivering projects.
He also addressed allegations that railway police personnel mistreated a Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) official. The official claimed that railway police assaulted him during a dispute over road construction near Natha Khan Bridge. The incident has led to competing cases registered by the KMC and the Pakistan Railways Police, with each side accusing the other of wrongdoing.
“Hopefully, the law will take its course, and if someone has committed such an act, they will have to answer for it under the law,” he said.
Electricity relief and support for public-private hospitals
On a proposal to provide electricity at Rs1 per unit to low-consumption households, Bilawal said those who use the least power should receive relief. He said managing the electricity system is the responsibility of the federal government, but provincial governments should assist if the Centre seeks their support.
Bilawal also said a hospital recently made operational through a KMC partnership with a private-sector partner would continue to receive support. He cited the Indus Hospital, the Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation (SIUT) and the ChildLife Foundation as institutions supported through public-private partnerships. “Now that this hospital has opened and is providing free treatment of international standards, I do not think there is a possibility of it closing,” he said.
