KARACHI(National Times)- Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan Chairman Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui has stressed the need of carving out a new urban province in Sindh, saying \u201cit has become an unavoidable necessity\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He said this while speaking to a programme titled \u2018The Dialogue Karachi\u2019, organised by his party here at a local hotel on Sunday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The event brought together politicians, intellectuals, journalists, urban development specialists and governance experts, who agreed that Karachi continues to suffer from chronic injustice, poor governance and a weak local government (LG) system, warning that the country\u2019s economic hub cannot prosper without genuine devolution of powers and administrative reforms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The participants highlighted decades of neglect, flawed governance structures, inadequate representation and the failure to empower LGs in the metropolis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
They agreed that Karachi\u2019s future depends on empowering local governments, ensuring the effective implementation of Article 140-A of the Constitution and pursuing administrative reforms to address the city\u2019s long-standing governance challenges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Addressing the gathering, MQM-P Chairman Dr Siddiqui, who is also the federal education minister, defended his party\u2019s political legacy and claimed that much of Karachi\u2019s development was achieved during periods when MQM held local government authority.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He said allegations linking the party to major criminal incidents, including the killings of Hakim Saeed and Amjad Sabri and the Baldia factory fire tragedy, had not been proven in courts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cFrom the murders of Hakim Said and Amjad Sabri to the Baldia factory fire tragedy and weapons recovery cases, no allegation against MQM has ever been proven in a court of law\u201d, he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe truth is that whatever development Karachi enjoys today is largely the result of MQM\u2019s efforts,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dr Siddiqui argued that Karachi\u2019s growing population and economic importance demand a new administrative framework, including the creation of a new urban province within the constitutional framework.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cA new urban province, within the constitutional framework of Pakistan, has become an unavoidable necessity,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He also questioned the utilisation of provincial resources and called for a fair population count to ensure proper representation and allocation of funds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Other speakers also criticised the state of local governance in Karachi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
MQM-P leader and MNA Javed Hanif said the city\u2019s problems persist despite the availability of workable solutions, blaming the lack of political will.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe solutions to Karachi\u2019s problems exist, but there is a severe lack of political will,\u201d he said. \u201cPeople sitting in Larkana cannot decide Karachi\u2019s future. The people of Karachi must be allowed to make their own decisions.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Former Sindh governor and interior minister Moinuddin Haider said rapid urbanisation and population growth had not been matched by reforms in governance and representation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n