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Senate moved for Seraiki, Bahawalpur provinces

Posted on: Mon April 12, 2010

ISLAMABAD: The issue of creation of Seraiki and Bahawalpur provinces is all set to rock the Senate, which will start the first reading of the 18th Amendment bill on Monday as two Senators Mohammad Ali Durrani and Jamal Leghari have submitted their separate proposals to create new provinces in the country.

Senator Jamal Leghari is said to have been given an assurance by PML-Q leaders Ch Shujaat Hussain and Pervaiz Elahi that their party senators will vote in favour of South Punjab province. But, both the PML-Q leaders did not give any assurance to Durrani on the Bahawalpur province.

Senator Jamal Khan Leghari confirmed to The News that he had moved an amendment in the 18th Amendment bill and had been given an assurance by Ch Shujaat Hussain and Pervaiz Elahi that the PML-Q would back this amendment to create the South Punjab province. He said this was not an ordinary decision on the part of the PML-Q leadership.

To a question why he did not name it Seraiki province, Jamal said he did not want to create any lingual rift, as the basic purpose was to get a separate province, which would ensure development through decentralization of powers.

In his bill, Jamal Khan justified that for too long the Federation of Pakistan has been under a severe strain because one province, namely Punjab has 60 per cent of the total population of the country and the three other provinces and Fata have only 40 per cent. It is time that in Punjab a new province comprising the south of Punjab be created. This does not in anyway mean that we advocate the creation of other provinces in rest of the country.

Jamal Khan in his note attached with the amendment has also opposed Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and recommended it should be renamed as Sarhad. I believe that the name of former NWFP be changed to Sarhad as otherwise severe strain, based on lingual and ethnic considerations, will erupt within that province and this will have very serious consequences for the rest of the provinces and the Federation. These proposed amendments will create stability in the Federation and will also address the issue of social and economic injustice of backward areas .

Meanwhile, Durrani in his separate amendment has proposed amendment in Article 1 of the Constitution to create Bahawalpur and Seraiki provinces. He has also proposed that parliament may by law form a new province by separating territory from any province or by uniting any area, territory and part as recommended by the provincial assembly through adopting a resolution to that effect.

Courtesy : The News