The Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) announced on Sunday that it was taking the initiative to begin a “grand national dialogue” on the creation of new provinces and approaching other political parties for talks.

MQM-P Chairman Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui made the announcement at a press conference in Karachi, where he stressed the need for a grand national dialogue on the matter.

He said his party had been contending that the creation of existing provinces in Pakistan did not meet all legal merits and had a linguistic basis. He continued his argument, adding that more provinces were needed in the country, because just like districts and divisions, these too were administrative units.

“We have been saying for the past 40 years [..] that Pakistan’s existing provinces were not created in accordance with law and were made based on linguistic grounds,” he said, adding that the country’s growing population also presented the need for the creation of administrative units.

Siddiqui expressed gratitude that political parties were choosing to favour MQM-P’s “long-standing” demand for more provinces.

He said that the objective of Sunday’s press conference was to “give people the message that, regardless of your political demands, start a dialogue with each other”.

He advised that political parties should engage in a “national dialogue” where their suggestions and reservations could be taken into account, adding that MQM-P was willing to take the lead.

“Wherever there is support for new provinces, we will stand with that voice,” he said and went on to clarify that MQM-P was not asking for new administrative units only in Sindh but across the country; however, he noted that the case for provinces remained “strongest” in Sindh.

More to follow