Administrative units: MQM chief demands new provinces

KARACHI:

Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) chief Altaf Hussain has demanded the formation of new provinces in the country and called for All Parties Conference (APC) on the issue.

The MQM leader’s unanticipated demand which has stirred a debate came at a time when he was addressing members of the Rabita Committee in Karachi and London on Tuesday.

“The government should immediately organise an All Parties Conference for the formation of new units. To remove sense of deprivation amongst ethnic communities and to treat everyone equally, we need new provinces in the country,” he said.

The MQM chief believes that natural resources could be distributed more effectively by the government, and the country can move towards prosperity and development if there are more divisions.

He said that after 1971, when four provinces were formed, the country has not formed new provinces while its population has increased immensely.

“To have better administrative system and control in the country, more provinces should be formed,” he added.

On the other hand, Rabita Committee member Wasay Jalil denied that the demand for new provinces was an indirect demand for the formation of a ‘Mohajir Sooba.’

“Altaf Hussain has called for a new system for better governance and distribution of resources,” he told The Express Tribune.

Jalil said that the government should call a parties conference and consensus should be developed amongst other parties for this policy.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 11^th, 2013.