'Creation of new provinces requires two-thirds majority in Sindh PA'

KARACHI:

Sindh's future will be decided by its people, and any move to create a new province must fulfil constitutional requirements, Sindh Local Government Minister Syed Nasir Hussain Shah said on Friday.

Reiterating the PPP's position on the division of Sindh, Shah said President Asif Ali Zardari and PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari had made it clear that the province's fate would be determined by the will of its people.

He said the Constitution prescribed a clear procedure for creating new provinces, requiring a resolution or bill to be passed by a two-thirds majority of the relevant provincial assembly. "Merely calling for a referendum would not lead to the creation of a new province," he added. Speaking to the media at an Expo 2026 event, Shah dismissed speculation linking a meeting between President Zardari and Mohsin Naqvi to the division of Sindh, saying it was based on personal ties.

On Karachi's development, the minister said work was under way on more than 150 major and minor roads to improve the city's infrastructure and facilitate commercial activity. He also announced that the provincial government was establishing a single-window facility at ABAD House, where representatives of relevant departments, including the Sindh Building Control Authority, would be available to facilitate builders and investors and expedite approvals.