Sindh CM rejects call for new provinces, terms it 'outdated'

Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah on Friday rejected Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi's proposal for the creation of new provinces, calling the idea "outdated" and asserting that the people of Sindh remain united to safeguard the province's interests.

Speaking to media after attending the concluding ceremony of the 283rd annual urs of revered Sufi poet Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai, the chief minister said Sindh was a land of Sufis where harmony and unity prevailed. Naqvi had floated the proposal a day earlier, suggesting new administrative units for governance reforms. The three-day urs, attended by tens of thousands of devotees, concluded on Friday. Addressing the gathering, CM Shah reaffirmed his government's commitment to preserving Sindh's cultural and spiritual heritage.

"Bhittai's poetry continues to inspire generations with its message of peace, coexistence and universal human values," he said. The CM also attended Shah Jo Raag mehfil and later distributed clothes and gifts among deserving women.

Commenting on the situation in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, CM Shah said PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari had consistently raised his voice for the Kashmiri people. He stressed that the upcoming AJK elections, scheduled for August 2 and August 10, must be held in a free, fair and transparent manner. He urged Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) to abandon the politics of boycott and participate in the democratic process.

Responding to Sindh Governor Nehal Hashmi's criticism over lack of coordination with the federal government on the Sukkur-Hyderabad motorway project, the CM said the governor was "unaware of the developments." He claimed that billions of rupees allegedly embezzled by district administrations in Naushehro-Feroze and Matiari under the pretext of land acquisition for the motorway were being recovered.