KARACHI: Pakistan Peoples Party Sindh President Nisar Ahmed Khuhro on Saturday demanded the resignation of Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, accusing him of undermining the Constitution by “endorsing a hybrid system”, declaring that the country’s democratic system of governance had collapsed and calling for creation of new provinces.
The demand by the provincial chapter of the PPP came two days after the interior minister held a meeting with President Asif Ali Zardari at Bilawal House and discussed the overall political and law-and-order situation in the country. Later, he spoke at the Pakistan Economic Summit in Islamabad the same day, where he said the current ‘system’ of governance had “collapsed” and stressed the need for more provinces in the country.
Speaking at a press conference in Karachi, the senior PPP leader said the interior minister had no moral or constitutional justification to continue to remain in office after questioning the country’s democratic system.
“If the federal interior minister believes that the democratic system has failed and openly praises a hybrid system, then he has no business sitting in Parliament or remaining in the federal cabinet,” Mr Khuhro said. “He should resign from his post.”
Khuhro says interior minister damaging military’s reputation
Flanked by PPP Sindh General Secretary Waqar Mehdi, PPP-Karachi President and Labour Minister Saeed Ghani and other party leaders, Mr Khuhro rejected recent discussions about creating new provinces.
“Constitution clearly lays down the procedure for altering provincial boundaries.” He explained that no new province could be established without a two-thirds majority resolution passed by the provincial assembly concerned.
“The Constitution is crystal clear. A new province cannot be created unless the provincial assembly concerned approves it with a two-thirds majority. There is no such demand or constitutional process underway in Sindh,” he said.
Referring to the past, the PPP leader said that the Punjab Assembly had previously passed a resolution supporting the creation of a new province.
“If anyone wants to create a new province, they should first implement the proposal in Punjab. Sindh has no need for another province,” he added.
He warned against what he described as unconstitutional narratives, saying Pakistan could not afford any extra-constitutional experiment and that democratic continuity remained the only solution to the country’s political and economic challenges.
“The country cannot bear another unconstitutional adventure. The supremacy of the Constitution and continuity of democracy are the only guarantees for Pakistan’s stability,” he said.
The PPP leader also accused the interior minister of dragging the armed forces into political debate despite the military’s stated commitment to remaining apolitical.
“By repeatedly invoking the name of armed forces for political purposes, the interior minister is damaging both democracy and the reputation of the military,” Mr Khuhro said.
Criticising the proposals for creating as many as 22 provinces, he questioned how the country’s fragile economy could sustain the financial burden of additional provincial governments, chief ministers and bureaucratic structures.
Recalling constitutional and political history of the country, he said repeated military interventions, the dissolution of elected governments and the misuse of constitutional provisions had weakened democratic institutions.
He said that only constitutional supremacy and uninterrupted democracy could address the country’s longstanding problems.
Responding to a question, Mr Khuhro said Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan Chairman Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui had no reason to fear from MQM leader Mustafa Kamal.
He also said the issue of the Jalalpur Canal was pending before the Council of Common Interests (CCI) and would be raised whenever the council convenes.
Published in Dawn, August 2nd, 2026
