Murad Ali Shah rejects idea of carving out new province in Sindh

KARCHI: Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah on Thursday rejected the idea of carving out a new province in Sindh, insisting that the province could only be divided through the constitutional process and with the approval of the Sindh Assembly.

His remarks came days after Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi sparked a nationwide political debate by saying Pakistan’s current governance system had “collapsed” and calling for the creation of more administrative units or provinces as part of broader constitutional and governance reforms.

Speaking at the Pakistan Economic Summit last week, Naqvi argued that the existing system could no longer address the country’s challenges and urged political parties to build consensus on structural reforms, warning that Pakistan would continue to face the same problems without fundamental changes.

Speaking to reporters after addressing the Mining Technical Conference 2026, Murad Ali Shah said that the Sindh Assembly had on multiple occasions unanimously rejected the idea of creating a new province within Sindh.

“The Sindh Assembly has repeatedly opposed the creation of any new province in Sindh with complete consensus,” he said.

He maintained that under the Constitution, a province could only be divided after the relevant provincial assembly approved such a move with the required two-thirds majority.

“If a provincial assembly passes a resolution with a two-thirds majority to redefine or divide a province, only then can it happen,” he said.

Murad’s remarks come as the debate over administrative restructuring has intensified following Naqvi’s call for creating additional provinces or administrative units, which has drawn mixed political reactions, particularly in Sindh where successive governments have resisted proposals to divide the province.

Responding to a question about public demonstrations, the chief minister said peaceful protests were the democratic right of every citizen but stressed that demonstrations should not inconvenience the public.

“People have every right to protest after obtaining permission from the government, but they should ensure traffic flow is not disrupted and citizens are not inconvenienced,” he said.

He also addressed concerns over rising flour prices, saying the provincial government had made advance arrangements to procure one million tonnes of wheat.

He said authorities had also recovered between 250,000 and 300,000 tonnes of wheat from hoarders and were taking effective measures to prevent any increase in flour prices.

Earlier, while addressing the conference, the chief minister highlighted the growing contribution of Thar coal to Pakistan’s energy sector.

He said that the use of locally mined coal was saving the country more than $1.5 billion annually in import costs and announced plans to expand electricity generation from Thar coal to 3,000 megawatts.

Murad Ali Shah said that developing indigenous energy resources remained essential for strengthening Pakistan’s energy security, reducing dependence on imported fuel and supporting long-term economic growth.