Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah has firmly rejected calls for dividing the province, insisting that any decision about Sindh Unity and its future must be taken through the elected provincial assembly rather than at business conferences, political gatherings or television programmes.

Speaking during a debate in the Sindh Assembly on Monday, Shah said the province would remain intact and argued that only elected representatives had the constitutional authority to determine its future. His remarks came during an adjournment motion moved by Pakistan Peoples Party Sindh President Nisar Ahmed Khuhro against proposals for dividing Sindh.

Shah said the Sindh Assembly had previously adopted resolutions opposing the province’s division in 1948, 2000, 2014, 2019 and 2026. He challenged those supporting division to bring a formal resolution before the House.

The chief minister said the debate should take place within the constitutional framework and maintained that the question of dividing Sindh could not be settled through courts, public rallies or television discussions.

He also referred to PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari’s position that the party would respect the wishes of the people.

Sindh Assembly Speaker Awais Qadir Shah backed the province’s territorial unity, telling lawmakers that they could debate the matter extensively but Sindh would remain one. The speaker had suspended the House’s routine proceedings to allow Khuhro’s motion to be discussed.

Sindh described as more than a political issue

Opening the debate, Khuhro strongly opposed proposals for creating separate provinces in Sindh. He questioned who had the authority to seek changes to the province’s structure and criticised discussions at business forums that he believed could influence political decisions.

Khuhro highlighted Sindh’s historical role in the creation of Pakistan, including the province’s separation from the Bombay Presidency and the Sindh Assembly’s historic resolution in support of Pakistan.

He also recalled the One Unit system of the 1950s, arguing that earlier attempts to weaken the province were being repeated in a different form.

Without directly naming the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan, Khuhro alleged that demands for dividing Sindh were being used to cover political disagreements. He also expressed concern over references to the armed forces in the debate.

Khuhro said any constitutional change involving the province would ultimately require the necessary majority in the assembly.

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MQM-P calls for administrative reforms

MQM-P lawmakers took a different position, arguing that creating additional administrative units should not automatically be interpreted as dividing Sindh.

MQM-P MPA Rehan Akram said the Constitution provided a mechanism for creating provinces and argued that establishing new administrative units could improve governance without breaking up the province.

Shariq Jamal said Sindh already had a system of cities, districts and divisions and questioned why further administrative restructuring should be rejected.

Jamal also said demands for new provinces had been raised by figures outside the MQM-P, including Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi. He argued that better governance would require public support for administrative reforms.

Another MQM-P lawmaker, Adil Askari, criticised the PPP government’s performance and questioned the repeated parliamentary resolutions on the issue. He said his party supported Sindh’s unity but wanted administrative reforms and called for the census to be conducted under military supervision.

MQM-P lawmaker Amir Siddiqui also said the party considered itself part of Sindh and did not support dividing the province. However, he criticised the PPP government for failing to address problems in Sindh and Karachi.

PPP rejects calls for division

PPP lawmakers strongly rejected the MQM-P’s arguments.

Raja Razzaq Baloch said he would not accept any attempt to divide Sindh and accused opponents of misleading the public by presenting the issue as an administrative reform.

Fayyaz Butt said the people of Sindh would resist any move to divide the province, while PPP lawmaker Dr Sikandar Shoro pledged continued opposition to the proposal.

The debate ended without a final resolution, and the Sindh Assembly was adjourned until 2pm on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, MQM-P Deputy Parliamentary Leader Taha Ahmed described the debate as a political success for his party. Speaking to reporters outside the Sindh Assembly, he said the PPP had previously characterised discussions about new provinces and administrative units as unconstitutional but was now allowing lawmakers to debate the subject.

The dispute highlights a continuing political divide over whether Sindh’s governance challenges should be addressed through administrative restructuring or by strengthening the existing provincial structure.