• Mustafa Kamal claims nationwide support for party’s draft, cites Punjab Assembly’s unanimous endorsement
• Alleges Karachi suffered Rs3tr losses in 17 years
• Sharjeel Memon terms allegations baseless, says party’s politics has ‘faded’
• Rana Sanaullah says 28th Amendment can be introduced

KARACHI: The Mutta­hida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) has claimed that its proposed constitutional amendment, aimed at empowering local governments, will now be advanced as the 28th Amendment, marking what the party calls a “national, not merely Karachi-centric” reform initiative which would materialise in the coming months.

Addressing a press conference at the party’s Bahadurabad headquarters on Monday, senior MQM-P leader and federal Health Minister Syed Mustafa Kamal said the party’s long-standing movement for devolution had now gained unprecedented nationwide support, citing a unanimous Punjab Assembly resolution endorsing the party’s proposed amendment.

He said the draft amendment is the result of “years of research, consultations, and dialogue” with political parties, scholars, NGOs, journalists, lawyers and civil society. “Today, Punjab has endorsed, word for word, the same amendment we drafted. This shows our struggle has resonated across Pakistan,” he said.

Flanked by senior leaders Anis Kaimkhani, Senator Faisal Subzwari, parliamentary members and a large number of workers, Mr Kamal said the MQM-P had joined the federal coalition in 2024 “not for ministries, perks or packages, but for one point only — local government empowerment through constitutional reform”.

He said the party’s agreement with the PML-N contained no personal or political demands other than support for the amendment. According to him, the MQM-P initially attempted to table the bill during the 26th Amendment process but lacked the numbers.

“When the 27th Amendment came up, all major parties, except the PPP, backed MQM-P’s draft, creating a deadlock,” he said. “The prime minister then asked us to momentarily defer the matter in national interest. This bill is not dead. It survived after the 26th Amendment, and it remains alive after the 27th Amendment. It will return to parliament in the coming months.”

Mr Kamal also claimed that he and party convener Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui had agreed that if the bill was not presented in cabinet, MQM-P would still vote for the 27th Amendment to avoid negative optics but would resign from ministries afterward in protest. “However, the federal cabinet itself endorsed the bill, and Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar publicly announced full support,” he said.

The MQM-P leader argued that denying administrative and financial powers at the grassroots fuels deprivation and unrest, especially in geographically vast regions.

“For instance, in Balochistan, an MNA needs three days to travel across his constituency. How will people’s needs be met without empowered local governments? Deprivation leads people to the mountains, and then the state sends the military to control the situation,” he warned.

Highlighting “Kara­chi’s long-standing financial grievances,” Mr Kamal said the city directly received 2.5 per cent of GST until 2006, and later one-sixth of GDP allocation at the district level.

“But after the 7th NFC Award in 2010, all funds began landing in the Chief Minister’s House. Karachi should have received Rs850 billion this year but did not even receive Rs100bn. In the last 17 years, Karachi has suffered losses worth Rs3,000bn,” he claimed.

Sharjeel responds

Sindh Senior Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon said the MQM-P minister had levelled baseless allegations against the PPP in an unprepared press conference. He said MQM-P’s politics had already faded and that this was an unsuccessful attempt to revive it. According to him, the MQM-P boycotted the local government elections after assessing ground realities and anticipating certain defeat.

Addressing a press conference alongside provincial minister Syed Nasir Hussain Shah, Mr Memon said the 27th Amendment originated from a tweet by Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari. He said many of these points were never accepted by the PPP, and that Mr Bhutto-Zardari’s tweet made no mention of local bodies. He added that the MQM-P should end its politics of hostility and adopt a constructive approach, asserting that the PPP is the strongest guarantor of provincial rights.

In response to a question, Mr Memon said the division of Sindh was impossible and that no force in the world could divide it.

Speaking about development projects, Nasir Shah said the chief minister had visited the city on Sunday and that all projects were progressing rapidly. He said notable improvements were taking place across Sindh, particularly in Karachi, where cleanliness work had improved and upgrading projects were under way in all towns. He added that the government was committed to transforming Karachi into a modern city.

28th Amendment possible

While speaking to reporters in Chiniot, Adviser to the PM on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah on Monday said that 28th Amendment, dealing with “public issues such as local bodies, population, the National Finance Commission … health-related issues”, could be introduced if there is political consensus. “There is a need to review how we can better serve the people according to the present needs of the provinces and the Centre,” he said, adding that this was being debated and if there was any consensus, then the 28th Amendment could be brought forward.

Published in Dawn, November 18th, 2025