“We Have Done Parliamentary Politics, Now We Will Take the Fight to the Streets”: Mustafa Kamal

Karachi: Federal Health Minister and MQM-P leader Mustafa Kamal has announced that his party will now launch a public movement to demand the transfer of powers to the grassroots, saying parliamentary efforts have failed to bring results.

Addressing a press conference in Karachi alongside party leaders, Kamal strongly criticized the Sindh government, alleging that it has prevented Karachi from playing its full role in Pakistan’s development.

“We have exhausted parliamentary politics and even presented constitutional amendments. Since our voice has not been heard, we will now take our struggle to the streets while remaining within the framework of the Constitution and the law,” he said.

Kamal claimed that Lahore is now 50 years ahead of Karachi in terms of development, while Sindh continues to suffer from poor governance and deteriorating civic conditions. “The world is reaching the moon, while our children are dying after falling into open manholes,” he remarked.

He also criticized the province’s healthcare system, saying that while other cities are introducing air ambulance services, Sindh is launching bicycle ambulances. He further claimed that dog-bite incidents continue to claim the lives of children in the province and argued that if governance reforms were possible, they would have been implemented over the past 18 years.

The MQM-P leader said the 18th Constitutional Amendment has never been implemented in its true spirit, adding that the creation of new administrative provinces has become inevitable. He vowed to pursue every constitutional and legal avenue to ensure the devolution of powers.

Highlighting the education crisis in Sindh, Kamal said 26 million children are out of school, while many girls’ schools lack even basic facilities such as washrooms.

Referring to Karachi’s economic contribution, he said the city generates more than 50% of Pakistan’s revenue and over 95% of Sindh’s revenue, yet has been denied its fair financial share. According to him, Karachi has received only 3% of total provincial funds over the past 18 years, amounting to Rs680 billion out of Rs22 trillion.

Kamal concluded by saying that MQM-P would present its case before the public with facts and figures and continue its constitutional struggle to secure Karachi’s rights.