THE demand for new provinces to be carved out of the present federating units of the country is not a new one, and in the recent past there has been growing talk of creating a separate province in urban Sindh, with Karachi at its heart. The chief proponent of this idea has been the MQM-P which has — in one shape or another — raised this demand at various times during its existence. The latest iteration of this call came on Tuesday, when MQM-P convener Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui told a press conference in Karachi that the PPP had created “two Sindhs” while already dividing the province on “ethnic and linguistic grounds”. The MQM has been piqued by the selection of administrators — terming them “non-locals” — in urban Sindh, particularly Karachi, after the local bodies’ tenure ended.

While there indeed exists a constitutional provision for creating new administrative units, the situation in Sindh — particularly the history of ethno-linguistic conflict in the province — means the idea of dividing Sindh is not a sound one. The PPP has opposed the idea tooth and nail, while Sindhi nationalist parties also will not stand for it. Moreover, the federal government’s recent intervention to address Karachi’s civic woes has strengthened the impression in some quarters that the centre is trying to wrest the metropolis away from Sindh. Instead of raising divisive demands for political gain, it would be better for the MQM and others who advocate for an ‘urban Sindh province’ to devote their energies to empowering the third tier through legislation. This should, in theory, give Sindh’s districts enough autonomy within the provincial structure to do away with complaints of over-centralisation and neglect that many in Karachi protest against. Over the past few decades, Karachi has seen far too much bloodshed on ethnic, sectarian and political lines, which is why any rhetoric that inflames such passions should be avoided. Instead, a democratic solution that embraces all of Sindh’s communities should be adopted to resolve the province’s governance issues.

Published in Dawn, September 10th, 2020