President Asif Ali Zardari has apparently taken a tough stand on the division of Sindh as part of the establishment’s plan of carving out more provinces in the country. At an appropriate time, he slipped out of the country, and has deliberately prolonged his stay in London. Minister of Interior Mohsin Naqvi, last week, had a marathon meeting with him. The subject matter under their deliberations could be none other than the purported new provinces. The post-meeting statement of Mohsin Naqvi betrayed an impression of disappointment or incredulity. President Zardari, during the meeting, remained serious and quiet conveying an aura of toughness. 

The provincial President of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Sindh, Mr. Nisar Ahmed Khuhro moved an adjournment motion in the Sindh Assembly to discuss the division of Sindh. Mr. Nisar Khuhro could not have made such a significant move without the consent of President Asif Ali Zardari or Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari. The motion was discussed for a couple of days from 31 August, with all speakers coming hard on the purported plan of the division of Sindh. The members were agitated, anxious and in fighting mood.  

Judging the tense atmosphere in the House, the protagonists of additional federal units mostly from the MQK-P rephrased their earlier demand for more provinces as new administrative units for the decentralization of powers. However, they could not elaborate what more administrative decentralization they want to have in the country, already divided in over 150 districts, and 36 divisions. No member from amongst them referred to the District Nazim system introduced by General Musharraf or talked of the empowerment of Local Governments.    

The proponents of the plan were unable to elaborate their concept of an administrative unit to satisfy the inquisitive questions of the PPP members. The devil is in details. The moot question was whether or not these so called........

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