Mustafa Kamal Says Smaller Administrative Units Can Improve Accountability in Sindh

Syed Mustafa Kamal has argued that smaller administrative units could bring government closer to citizens and make political leaders more accountable, pointing to Karachi’s population and representation concerns as part of the case for administrative reform in Sindh.

Speaking during a discussion on devolution and governance, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) senior leader disagreed with the argument that transferring powers to local governments alone was sufficient to address governance problems.

Kamal referred to an example shared during the discussion by a doctor who had served as a deputy commissioner. Residents had reportedly explained that local government had improved their lives because they could approach local representatives when problems arose, including at night, and seek a resolution.

He argued that provincial leadership should be similarly accessible to the people it governs.

“When you over-centralise power, accountability slips out of the ordinary person's hands,” was the central message of his argument.

Karachi's representation under scrutiny

Kamal questioned whether voters in Karachi had sufficient electoral influence to change the provincial government when dissatisfied with its performance.

He claimed that Karachi accounted for approximately 38 per cent of Sindh’s population, while Hyderabad represented another 5 per cent. Together, he argued, the two urban centres represented around 43 per cent of the province’s population.

However, official census figures require careful consideration of administrative boundaries. The Pakistan Bureau of Statistics recorded Karachi Division’s population at approximately 20.38 million in the 2023 census, against Sindh’s total population of 55.70 million. Hyderabad District had approximately 2.43 million residents, while the wider Hyderabad Division had a population of 11.66 million.

Kamal also raised concerns about Karachi’s census count, referring to an interim figure of approximately 13 million before the population count eventually reached around 20.3 million. The final published census series records Karachi Division’s population at 16.02 million in 2017 and 20.38 million in 2023. His claims about the interim figure and the counting process should be distinguished from those final published totals.

A question of accountability

Kamal argued that the debate should not be about assuming that new leaders would automatically perform better. Instead, he said, residents should have a meaningful way to replace leaders who fail to deliver.

He maintained that large, centralised administrative structures can leave citizens feeling powerless, particularly when they believe their votes cannot change the leadership responsible for their affairs.

Referring to comments made by journalist Asma Shirazi during the discussion, Kamal cautioned against treating the views of one section of Sindh’s population as representative of the entire province.

He also argued that support for a separate administrative unit for Karachi extended across ethnic and linguistic communities, including Sindhi, Pashtun, Baloch and Urdu-speaking residents.

The wider debate over administrative reform

MQM-P has advocated converting existing divisions into empowered administrative units, arguing that decentralisation can improve governance without necessarily changing provincial boundaries.

The proposal remains politically contentious, with questions surrounding constitutional arrangements, provincial authority, resource distribution and the future of local government.

For Kamal, the central issue is whether citizens can hold their leadership accountable in practice. He argued that smaller administrative units could bring decision-makers closer to residents and strengthen the connection between electoral choices and government performance.