PPP Announces ‘Sindh Unity’ Seminars From September 10 Amid New Provinces Debate
KARACHI, PAKISTAN — WEB DESK: The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) has announced a series of “Sindh Unity” seminars beginning September 10, intensifying its political campaign against proposals to create new provinces or administrative units in Sindh.
PPP Sindh President Nisar Ahmed Khuhro announced the programme on Monday, saying the party would hold the seminars in phases across the province’s divisional headquarters.
The campaign comes amid a widening national debate over whether Pakistan needs additional provinces or administrative units to improve governance and public-service delivery.
PPP, which governs Sindh, has strongly opposed proposals it believes could alter the province’s geographical or constitutional status.
First Sindh Unity Seminar Set for Karachi
According to the schedule announced by Khuhro, the first Sindh Unity seminar will be held on September 10 at the Arts Council of Pakistan in Karachi under the Peoples Students Federation (PSF).
Further seminars are scheduled for:
- September 16 — Larkana
- September 17 — Karachi, organised by the Peoples Lawyers Forum
- September 18 — Hyderabad
Additional events will be organised in Shaheed Benazirabad, Mirpurkhas and Sukkur divisions, with dates to be announced separately.
Khuhro said PPP would respond at every political forum to proposals concerning new provinces or administrative units in Sindh.
September 12 Reserved for MRD Martyrs
PPP has also revised its programme for September 12 to commemorate those killed during the Movement for the Restoration of Democracy (MRD).
A public gathering will be held in K.N. Shah, Dadu, while Quran recitations and prayer ceremonies will take place at district headquarters across Sindh.
The party said the programme would pay tribute to people who lost their lives during the pro-democracy movement.
The revised schedule means the broader Sindh Unity campaign begins on September 10, while September 12 will focus specifically on the MRD commemorations.
PPP Rejects New Province or Administrative Units in Sindh
Khuhro said PPP would defend what it describes as the geographical unity of Sindh at every forum.
He claimed that the people of Sindh had already rejected both a new province and new administrative units within the province.
That statement represents PPP’s political position. It should not be interpreted as the result of a province-wide representative opinion poll unless supported by separate polling data.
The party has sharpened its opposition after federal ministers revived discussion about restructuring Pakistan’s administrative system.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi has argued that Pakistan’s population and governance challenges require new administrative units, saying the existing structure is no longer adequate for effective service delivery.
PPP maintains that administrative reform should not become a vehicle for altering Sindh’s territorial integrity.
Sindh Assembly Has Already Rejected Division
The provincial government’s position received formal legislative backing on September 3 when the Sindh Assembly adopted a resolution rejecting attempts to divide the province, change its boundaries or create new provinces or administrative units affecting its territorial integrity.
Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah said there would be no compromise on Sindh’s geographical unity.
The vote came amid opposition protests and a boycott. MQM-P and Jamaat-i-Islami lawmakers objected to the exclusion of their proposals concerning administrative units and greater devolution.
The disagreement highlights an important distinction in the debate: supporters of administrative restructuring argue that decentralisation could improve governance, while PPP views proposals affecting Sindh’s existing provincial status as a threat to its historical and constitutional identity.
PPP Challenges Federal Ministers
The PPP Sindh leadership has also criticised statements by federal ministers supporting new provinces or administrative restructuring.
At a recent meeting chaired by Khuhro, the party called on Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to restrain federal ministers from making statements it regards as interference in Sindh’s constitutional affairs.
PPP warned that continued remarks could lead it to conclude that the federal government was backing an effort against Sindh’s unity, provincial autonomy and the 18th Amendment.
Federal figures advocating reform, however, argue that Pakistan’s growing population requires greater decentralisation and that the discussion should focus on governance rather than ethnic or regional divisions.
Political Debate Likely to Continue
The issue is unlikely to disappear after the PPP seminars.
PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan has cautioned against making any hasty decision on new provinces, saying such a move could weaken the federation.
MQM-P, meanwhile, continues to support the creation of new provinces and stronger administrative decentralisation, arguing that the existing system has failed to provide adequate public services.
PPP’s seminars will therefore take place against a broader national argument over provincial boundaries, decentralisation, local government and the distribution of political and administrative power.
For PPP, however, its immediate message is clear: the party intends to mobilise politically against any proposal it believes would divide Sindh or alter its territorial status.
