KARACHI: Former Sindh Governor and Nishan-e-Imtiaz recipient Dr. Ishrat-ul-Ebad Khan has said that using provinces and administrative units as a pretext to promote hatred amounts to disloyalty to Pakistan. He called for any decision regarding the creation of new provinces or administrative units to be made through public opinion and, if necessary, a referendum rather than by politicians alone.
Dr. Ishrat-ul-Ebad said Pakistan is the homeland, while Sindh, Punjab, Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan and other administrative units are integral parts of the country. He stressed that no province should be portrayed as being in opposition to Pakistan, nor should hatred be created on the basis of provincial identities.
He said Pakistan is currently facing serious political, economic and administrative challenges. Rapid population growth, unequal distribution of resources, concentration of powers and delays in resolving public issues require a serious national debate on administrative reforms.
According to Dr. Ishrat-ul-Ebad, consultations are underway with political circles, various stakeholders and young people in Karachi. If consensus cannot be reached among all stakeholders, he said, the matter should be decided through a public referendum. The objective, he emphasized, should not be to divide any region but to move Pakistan towards development, stability and better governance.
He said the people want national unity and stability instead of hatred and disorder. State institutions, political parties, young people and all stakeholders must sit together and find solutions to the country’s problems through dialogue.
Dr. Ishrat-ul-Ebad also called for elected members of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) in the Sindh Assembly to be given the right to express their views openly. If a resolution against Sindhudesh is moved, he said, it should be debated on the floor of the house and a clear position in favour of Pakistan’s unity and integrity should be adopted. In democratic institutions, he added, differences of opinion should be answered with arguments rather than through silence or obstruction.
He further said that the Advisory Council, Central Committee and Organising Committee of Meri Pehchan Pakistan (MPP) have decided to participate in elections, and that organisational workers would be fully prepared to enter the political arena if required.
He said the political struggle would continue for public rights, an empowered local government system, devolution of authority to the grassroots level and Pakistan’s development.
Expressing serious concern over the situation in Karachi, Dr. Ishrat-ul-Ebad said the city is facing deteriorating infrastructure, traffic congestion and persistent problems related to water, sewage and sanitation. “Karachi has been reduced to pieces,” he said, stressing that statements and claims alone were not enough and that practical work was required. “If work is done, the people themselves will appreciate it,” he added.
He also questioned the performance of the Karachi mayor, saying that citizens now wanted practical results rather than words. He called on all political parties to play their role in resolving Karachi’s longstanding problems.
Referring to Jamaat-e-Islami, Dr. Ishrat-ul-Ebad said Karachi’s problems could not be resolved through protest politics or double standards. Political parties, he said, should present their performance before the public alongside their protest activities, as Karachi’s citizens now demand concrete measures and visible results.
He further said that considering the people of Karachi and other urban areas of Sindh weak, or ignoring their political mandate, would not be a politically sound strategy. The people of urban Sindh, he stressed, deserve equal rights, empowered local governments and a fair share of resources.
Dr. Ishrat-ul-Ebad reiterated that the issue of new provinces or administrative units in Pakistan should be addressed through constitutional, democratic and public means rather than emotional slogans. If the people believe that new administrative units are necessary for better governance, their opinion must be given due importance.
Addressing his supporters, Dr. Ishrat-ul-Ebad said: “My colleagues should get ready; we will not leave the field open. The struggle for Pakistan’s unity, development, public rights, supremacy of the Constitution and a strong local government system will continue. No hatred, but love; no division, but unity; and state before politics is our principle.”
About The Author
