Bilawal Bhutto slams Sindh split plan, warns army against unilateral move

The Shehbaz Sharif government and the Pakistani army are pushing a plan to redraw the country's provincial map, arguing the existing administrative setup has broken down. Under the proposal, the four large provinces, Sindh, Punjab, Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, would be broken up into roughly 12 to 15 smaller provinces. The move has triggered anger across the country, particularly in Sindh.

The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), which holds power in Sindh, has come out directly against the proposal. Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, who was in London with his father, President Asif Ali Zardari, reacted sharply, targeting Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, seen as close to army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir.

Bilawal said the redrawing of provinces was a sensitive constitutional matter and should not be raised at business forums or in private meetings. He said that if the army and government genuinely wanted to divide the provinces, they should bring the proposal directly before parliament and the relevant provincial assemblies for open debate among elected representatives, rather than looking for a workaround.

Sindh's provincial assembly has already unanimously rejected the proposal, passing a resolution that there will be no compromise on the territorial integrity of Sindh. Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah and other senior ministers said the land of Sindh is like a mother to its people and no Sindhi citizen would accept it being carved up. Provincial leaders warned that any forced attempt to split Sindh or separate Karachi could lead to a Balochistan-like conflict in Pakistan.

Army chief Asim Munir and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi argue that the existing provinces are geographically too large and power is concentrated at the centre, which prevents services like health, education and law and order from reaching the public. They say smaller administrative units would improve governance.

Political analysts, however, say the army has a political motive behind the proposal. Sindh has long been a stronghold of the Bhutto family and the PPP, and splitting it into three or four parts would weaken the party's political base. Analysts say the army wants direct control over all provinces and is using administrative reform as a cover to break them up.

The dispute has also opened a rift within the ruling coalition. While some ministers in the Shehbaz Sharif government are backing the proposal, the PPP, a key coalition partner, is prepared to confront the army directly over it. There is speculation that the government could fall if the plan to split Sindh is not withdrawn.