Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui Renews MQM-Pakistan’s Demand for New Provinces, Raises Karachi’s Status

Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) chairman Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui has renewed his party’s demand for the creation of new provinces, arguing that Karachi’s political and administrative status was changed without consulting its residents.

Addressing members of the North Nazimabad Residents Committee in Karachi, Siddiqui said the demand for new provinces predated the formation of MQM and was rooted in the political history of the country.

He said Karachi had served as Pakistan’s federal capital in the early years after independence, adding that the city and its residents had experienced major changes in their political status over time.

Siddiqui argued that Karachi was incorporated into Sindh without a referendum or public vote when the provincial structure was restored after the One Unit system. He also criticised the frequent use of Sindh’s ancient history in discussions about the province’s political arrangements.

“Our issue begins with Bhutto’s Pakistan,” Siddiqui said, contrasting the political arrangements associated with Zulfikar Ali Bhutto with the Pakistan envisioned by the country’s founder, Muhammad Ali Jinnah.

He added that millions of people had made sacrifices for the creation of Pakistan, including those who migrated to the country after Partition.

MQM-P has long advocated administrative restructuring and the creation of additional provinces, particularly in urban Sindh. The proposal remains politically contentious, with debates over provincial boundaries, representation and the distribution of administrative authority continuing to shape politics in the province.

Siddiqui’s remarks have once again placed Karachi’s governance and the question of new provinces at the centre of the political debate.