ISLAMABAD: Health Minister Mustafa Kamal said that new constitutional amendment will become essential to create new provinces if urban Sindh continues to experience systematic deprivation. If Sindh government authorities failed to address the long-standing problems in Karachi and other urban centres, new amendment will end the culture of exploitation and deprivation. Federal Minister stated this today to create awareness about future plannings for better governance in Sindh and other provinces.
Call for Dialogue on Local Government Reforms
Mustafa Kamal said a refusal by the Pakistan Peoples Party to discuss local government reforms could even endanger the 18th Constitutional Amendment. He noted that the amendment stands at the core of provincial authority. However, he stressed that unfair governance could invite major political shifts. He repeated that urban areas needed meaningful administrative control. Additionally, he said systematic neglect had pushed citizens toward stronger demands.
Karachi’s Revenue Contribution Highlighted
The minister claimed Sindh received Rs2,400 billion this year under the NFC Award. He said Rs800 billion of this amount belonged to Karachi. However, he stated the city did not receive even Rs100 billion in return. He added that the federal government claimed all funds had already been transferred to the Sindh chief minister. Consequently, he said Karachi had been told to seek its rightful share from provincial authorities. He remarked that this approach weakened trust between different tiers of government.
Urban Services and Governance Challenges Discussed
Kamal said Karachi’s civic problems had intensified due to administrative failures. He argued that the Sindh chief minister had become responsible for tasks usually handled at the local level. He said this situation reflected the collapse of local governance. Furthermore, he predicted that demands for a new province would grow if urban areas continued to feel ignored.
Pressure Could Drive Major Constitutional Moves
He noted that political history shows provinces emerge when urban rights are suppressed and resources withheld. He also recalled that the PPP had long opposed agricultural tax reforms. Yet, he said President Asif Ali Zardari announced the tax when the IMF applied pressure. Therefore, he insisted that a constitutional amendment for new provinces remained possible under similar pressure. He concluded that the debate would intensify if rights issues remained unresolved.
