PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Tuesday called for a full stop to the Bilawal new provinces debate, saying the people of Sindh and their elected representatives had already given their decision.
He spoke to the media at Spencer Eye Hospital in Lyari, Karachi, alongside Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah. Asked about pressure on the PPP over new administrative units and the possible rollback of the 18th Amendment, Bilawal said the people of Sindh and their elected representatives had already given their decision.
“The people here can determine the fate of this province and this city,” he said. “I think we should close this topic because the people themselves have closed it.”
Bilawal said the Sindh Assembly had made its stance clear at least seven to eight times. He added that the assembly and the people of the province had presented their decision, and “now we should put a full stop to this conversation”.
No talks on a 28th amendment, says Bilawal
Asked about talk of a 28th constitutional amendment and whether the government had spoken to him about it, Bilawal gave a short answer.
“No,” he said.
He did not expand on the point. The answer matters because debate about constitutional change has run alongside the debate about new provinces in recent months, and Bilawal is a central figure in any such discussion at the centre.
Bilawal was also asked about the recent dispute between the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation and Pakistan Railways, and about the federal government’s lack of interest in the city.
“The federal government should definitely pay attention to this city. Karachi is the country’s economic hub. Everyone else should pay attention to it,” he said.
Bilawal new provinces: how the debate began
The debate across the country began after Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi proposed a dialogue among all political parties in July. Naqvi called for reforms to the current governance system and for new provinces and urgent administrative reforms.
At the time, the PPP referred the question to its top decision-making forum, while the Sindh chief minister flatly rejected the proposal. Lawyers in Lahore called the idea unconstitutional, and Sindhi nationalist groups demanded the minister’s resignation.
Since then, several political parties have spoken in favour of more provinces or administrative units for better governance. The Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan, an ally of the PML-N-led ruling coalition, has demanded that Karachi be made a province separate from Sindh.
The PPP, which rules Sindh and is also an ally of the PML-N government at the centre along with MQM-P, has strongly opposed that move.
In September, the Sindh Assembly adopted a resolution rejecting all attempts to divide the province or create new administrative units. Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah declared at the time that there would be no compromise on Sindh’s geographical unity.
Why Bilawal spoke himself this time
Bilawal’s remarks on Tuesday carry extra weight because he spoke in person, rather than leaving the party position to a provincial leader. Only a day earlier, senior PPP leader Nisar Khuhro had ruled out a new province in Sindh at an event in Larkana, pointing to the assembly’s repeated resolutions.
Bilawal’s intervention now closes that circle at the top of the party. He framed the issue as settled by the voters and their representatives, not as a question still open for negotiation.
His comment on Karachi also links the provinces debate to a second dispute. The KMC and Pakistan Railways row has raised questions about who controls land and services in the city, and Bilawal used the visit to press the federal government to give Karachi more attention.
For now, the PPP position is clear. The party will not back a division of Sindh, and its chairman wants the conversation to end.
Frequently asked questions
What did Bilawal say about new provinces?
He called for a full stop to the conversation, saying the people of Sindh and the Sindh Assembly had already made their position clear.
Where did Bilawal make the remarks?
He spoke to the media at Spencer Eye Hospital in Lyari, Karachi, alongside Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, on Tuesday, October 27, 2026.
What did Bilawal say about a 28th amendment?
Asked whether the government had spoken to him about a 28th constitutional amendment, he replied: “No.”
