HYDERABAD: Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) coordination committee deputy convener Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui on Sunday said that his party's demand for new provinces is constitutional and added that it has not budged from its stand.

Dr Siddiqui was speaking to journalists at an MQM membership campaign camp in Latifabad.

Local party leaders Naveed Shamsi, Rashid Mumtaz, MNA Syed Wasim Hussain, Sohail Mushhadi, Rafiq Ajmeri and others were also present on the occasion.

He told journalists in response to a question regarding MQM’s campaign for provinces that his party didn’t demand a separate province for itself alone.

“We in fact believe that considering present population figures of Pakistan, the number of existing provinces should be raised like districts and divisions which are administrative units,” he said.

He explained that when Pakistan was founded its population was a few million, but now stands at 200 million.

He maintained that the scope of MQM’s campaign has been widened but currently the party is busy in public mobilisation over this issue. The MQM leader said once this is finalised, the party would come up with the demand of a new province formally.

He, however, added that “the pace and intensity of it [the campaign] will be decided by us after assessing the prevailing situation and conditions in the country”.

When a journalist pointed out to him that Pakistan's constitution doesn’t have a provision for new provinces, he disagreed.

“It [Pakistan’s constitution] does have a provision and you must read it. But we can differ over its methodology. We [MQM] haven’t withdrawn from this demand [of province]”, he said.

Meanwhile, Dr Siddiqui emphatically said “No” when he was asked that reports are in circulations of his party again considering an engagement with government for possible rejoining.

MQM had quit PPP government only recently over PPP chairman’s criticism of MQM leader Altaf Hussain.

Subsequent statement by Khurshid Shah, leader of opposition in National Assembly, also increased tensions between the two parties.