KARACHI: The Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) on Sunday strongly opposed the decision to relocate the headquarters of the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA) from Karachi to Islamabad, describing it as a serious blow to the city’s economic and administrative importance.

In a statement, an MQM-P spokesperson expressed “deep concern and anger” over the planned relocation and urged the federal government to immediately review and withdraw the decision.

The spokesperson said the temporary headquarters of both organisations were planned to be shifted to Islamabad Airport under administrative arrangements. A seven-member joint committee, headed by Deputy Director General Airports Authority Sadiq Rehman, had reportedly been constituted to oversee the process.

According to the statement, the CAA is expected to be temporarily shifted by November 2026, while the PAA would follow by December.

The MQM-P spokesperson also claimed that approval had been given for a permanent 25-storey PAA headquarters in Islamabad’s Blue Area, covering around 1.24 million square feet.

“Shifting the offices of important national institutions from Karachi, which is the country’s economic and aviation hub, amounts to an attack on the rights of the city,” the spokesperson added.

The party argued that Karachi had historically remained the country’s aviation and economic centre and questioned the rationale behind moving the central offices of aviation-related institutions away from the city.

The spokesperson said that since the 2023 parliamentary decision to divide the CAA into operational and regulatory entities, efforts had allegedly been underway to gradually move the institution’s central administrative setup to Islamabad.

“Civil Aviation Authority and Pakistan Airports Authority headquarters should be retained in Karachi, and the decision to relocate them should be withdrawn immediately,” the spokesperson demanded.

The MQM-P also called on the federal government and the Ministry of Aviation to refrain from measures that could “undermine Karachi’s administrative significance and employment opportunities.”

It demanded that the government and relevant authorities issue clear orders retaining the principal offices of both aviation bodies in Karachi.

The spokesperson said the federal government should reconsider the decision in view of Karachi’s contribution to the national economy and its longstanding role as the country’s principal commercial and aviation centre.

Published in Dawn, August 24th, 2026