Politicians in Sindh reacted strongly to Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif’s statement on Sunday that Karachi be made a province, with Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah stating that there was no need for the creation of a new province within Sindh. “I strongly condemn the statement of Shahbaz Sharif. Punjab is three times the size of Sindh. Another province can be made there but not in Sindh,” Shah told reporters at the residence of a Pakistan Muslim League-Functional leader. He said that the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) was a national party and did not belong to one particular province only.
Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) Coordination Committee member Qasim Ali Raza said that the MQM believed that Sindh should remain a single province and the party would not accept its division under any circumstances. Raza said no such demand had been made by the people of Karachi or the rest of Sindh, whereas demands for a Hazara province and a Seraiki province have been made in Punjab. He said that the MQM had stated on various occasions that the decision to create new provinces should be taken according to the wishes and aspirations of the people by holding a public referendum.
He said Shahbaz’s statement was beyond comprehension and it might be an attempt to thwart the creation of new provinces in Punjab.
Former PML-N Sindh president Imdaad Choliani disowned Shahbaz’s statement, saying that it might be his personal views but it was not party policy. “Such a big decision cannot be made by a single person. It is true that Shahbaz Sharif has importance in the party but big decisions can only be made in a meeting of the party’s central executive committee by Nawaz Sharif. Shahbaz’s statement should not be taken as a party policy,” he said.
Awami National Party (ANP) Sindh said that any division of Sindh on linguistic or class basis would be opposed. ANP Spokesman Qadir Khan said in a statement that the demand for Karachi to be made a province was the continuation of the exploitation of small provinces. He said the Punjab chief minister wanted to stop a Seraiki province from being created, so he was trying to divide Sindh. Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Senator Pervaiz Rashid said Shahbaz did not say anything unusual or out of proportion. He said the debate on creating new provinces was basically started by Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani, the MQM and the ANP and it had been going on for the last year and a half, and Shahbaz had merely furthered the issue.
“It is ironic that the champions of the cause of new provinces want to get the issue settled according to their liking, and that is why when the chief minister talked about a new province in Sindh, they flared up,” he added. Federal Information Minister Firdous Ashiq Awan said Shahbaz’s suggestion was weightless and had no logical grounds. Former provincial minister Sharmila Farooqi said that the creation of a Seraiki province should not be linked with Sindh, and Shahbaz’s statement showed his autocratic thinking. She said his statement was a conspiracy to divide Sindh and would cause ethnic clashes.
Sindh Information and Archives Minister Sharjeel Memon also condemned the statement and said the PPP believed in provincial autonomy while keeping the federation strong. He said further that the people of Sindh loved their province and there was no rural or urban distinction there.
PPP, MQM and ANP hit out at Shahbaz
