The Sindh Assembly on Saturday adopted a resolution opposing any division of the province of Sindh, after which the sitting was adjourned for an indefinite period.

According to details, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, said that had the 1973 Constitution been in place, the events of 1948 would not have occurred. He recalled that in 2019 the Sindh Assembly had unanimously passed a similar resolution, which at the time was supported by the Muttahida Qaumi Movement. He added that in 2016 the MQM had removed its leader. The present resolution, he said, was straightforward and stated only that the House opposed the division of Sindh.

CM Murad said the name of the Sindh governor was not mentioned in the resolution. He said that under the rules, personal references to the governor or the president could not be made. “My resolution does not name the governor,” he said, adding that it addressed the issue of dividing Sindh and stood against it. He said the MQM had supported a similar resolution in 2019.

“If they are not supporting it today, then there is something amiss,” he said, referring to the opposition benches. He stated that the resolution also condemned any move to separate Karachi as a province and spoke of strengthening the federation. He maintained that nothing in the resolution concerned the Governor.

The chief minister said he had tabled the resolution and that not a single clause ran contrary to the constitution. Those who sought the division of Sindh, he said, would oppose it. He added that when his party had sat in opposition, its resolutions were not taken up.

Sharjeel Memon

Provincial minister Sharjeel Memon said police officers in Karachi had been singled out and killed in the past. “This province of Sindh played its part in the making of Pakistan. We shall not allow any harm to come to Pakistan. Till the end of time, the slogan of ‘Pakistan Khappay’ will be raised,” he said, accusing opponents of practising politics of hatred.

Members of the MQM-Pakistan created an uproar during his speech. Memon said the mayors of Karachi, Hyderabad and Sukkur were carrying out their duties. He questioned why some parties had avoided local government elections. “Why did they shy away from the local polls?” he asked. He said Karachi was Pakistan’s finest city and that people from across the country came there for medical treatment.

He said Karachi would not be handed over to the federation. Referring to the tenure of former president Pervez Musharraf, he said that when their mayor had been in office, Karachi had remained under federal control and that the city had suffered from ‘China cutting’.

Memon said his opponents had now acknowledged their reliance on Form 47. Had they not relied on Form 47, he said, they would have supported the resolution. He added that the people of Sindh were politically aware and had elected the right representatives to the Assembly.

Opposition Leader Ali Khurshidi

Opposition Leader Ali Khurshidi rejected the resolution and said it appeared that dictation was under way. He said that the resolution condemned an alleged conspiracy.

“What conspiracy is taking place?” he asked. “Karachi is the capital of Sindh. You have already fragmented Karachi. You carved out Korangi from Malir. You have remained in power for 18 years.”

He referred to the Governor’s IT programme, stating that 50,000 children were enrolled and that discussions on Karachi’s future had taken place at the Governor House. He added that even Sindhi-speaking officers said Karachi had been ruined. “For me, the motherland is Pakistan,” he said.