ISLAMABAD: Two days after a lawmaker from the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan tabled a bill in the National Assembly proposing to split Sindh into two provinces, the Pakistan Peoples Party on Thursday warned against any such move.

Speaking at a press conference, Sindh PPP president Nisar Khuhro said other provinces would also be divided if the talk of Sindh’s division continued.

The bill, moved by Kishwar Zahra of the MQM-P, seeks to amend the procedure for changing the geographical boundaries of provinces. It seeks the removal of Clause 4 of Article 239 of the Constitution, which empowers the provinces to determine the geographical boundaries within their jurisdictions.

Article 239 (4) reads: “A Bill to amend the Constitution which would have the effect of altering the limits of a Province shall not be presented to the President for assent unless it has been passed by the Provincial Assembly of that Province by the votes of not less than two-thirds of its total membership.”

Khuhro says other provinces will also be divided if talk of Sindh’s division continues

Mr Khuhro said the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf, MQM-P and the Grand Democratic Alliance were conspiring to dismember Pakistan by talking against Sindh, but the PPP would not allow anyone to usurp provincial autonomy or rolling back of 18th Amendment.

He said 18th Amendment was unanimously passed by the National Assembly and only after that it had become part of the Constitution. “If anyone wants to revisit 18th Amendment, a two-thirds majority in parliament will be required. There is no constitutional value of the bill presented in the National Assembly by the MQM-P,” he said.

The PPP leader said the PTI had not given any suggestion for 18th Amendment because it was not in parliament after boycotting the elections in 2008.

He said the PPP wanted implementation of 18th Amendment, but the MQM-P and PTI were attacking provincial autonomy and Imran Khan was playing the role of a facilitator in this regard.

Mr Khuhro said Sindh was not getting its due share from the National Finance Commission award.

Moreover, Sindh’s 2015 NFC award had not been announced, he said and demanded the announcement of award with the due share of Sindh.

Published in Dawn, October 4th, 2019