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'People will scrap PML-N if they scrap demand of separate province'
The federal minister said that if people want a new province then the government should let them form one.
The federal minister said that if people want a new province then the government should let them form one. PHOTO: APP/FILE
Federal Information Minister Firdous Ashiq Awan said if Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) will scrap the people’s demand of a separate province then people will scrap the PML-N as well, Express 24/7 reported Saturday.
She said this while speaking to the media in Lahore.
Awan said that the demand of forming a new province has only been raised from Punjab.
The federal minister said that if people want a new province then the government should let them form one.
She said that Punjab has a population of 120 million people and administratively it is a tough job to handle such a large population.
Awan said that the demand to carve out a new province is justified.
Furthermore, she said that the government is consulting the matter with all the stakeholders including the PML-N leadership.
The idea of creating a Seraiki province is strongly opposed by the PML-N leadership, on account of which, PML-N Chief Nawaz Sharif is expected to chair a meeting of a 15-members committee on Monday to discuss the issue of new provinces.
Earlier on Friday, Pakistan Muslim League Quaid’s (PML-Q) leader Chaudhry Zahiruddin Khan submitted a bill seeking the establishment of a South Punjab province.
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Reader Comments (37)
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What crap! People want a separate Balochistan. Does that mean the punjabis will give it to them.
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This is all what this government is about. Focusing on issues which doesn’t connect with the ground realities i-e. the public is in a mess due to high prices for food items and non-existing electricity. All they think about is renaming provinces, fighting over making new provinces, reopening ZAB’s case for after like a zillion years. Extremely frustrating.
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Right! And what about Hazara province? and then there is “muhajir” province demands?
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PPP has no stakes in Hazara. Muhajir Province is like committing suicide. South Punjab is the only ‘demand’ that would ‘benefit’ them. It’s not about people. It’s about politics.
Punjab should be divided into three units on administrative basis. No ‘seraiki’ sooba.
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This is time of need that Karachi should be a separate province to utilize their resources efficiently and promptly. After making separate province all key positions will be in the hand of MQM and then no one can play blame game.
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BTW ‘Muhajir’ Province is a pretty stupid name. Those making these silly demands should atleast come up with proper names.
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government and their policies…for god sake do somthing for food crises,oil prices,security system and electricity crises
we as a nation should think about imran khan nowRecommend
If making of new provinces is good in itself according to all political parties, including PML(N) , then why they are attaching the conditions that other provinces should also be divided in more provinces. I mean if it is a good thing then just do it in Punjab, at least the people of Punjab will benefit. Other provinces can ‘learn’ from that experience as well.
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Dear politicians – People want an end to load-shedding too….but that ain’t happenin eh?
This is just meant to distribute PML-N’s vote bank for next elections… nothing more… Recommend
What’s wrong in creation of a new province? Surely, it helps in better administration of provinces. Afterall, nawaz is not asking for a new country!
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Divide all provinces by 3 to make 12 well managed provinces. Every one need right to rule. 3 in Punjab 3 in Sindh 3 in Balochistan and 3 in KP will make all happy. Slicing Punjab only will heart feelings of one province only. If this is necessity, PPP should come with open mind and get ready for division of Sindh as well if they are sincere.
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What provinces, u really don’t care about them, surely new provinces would help in better administration but it doesn’t matter to PPP neither Noon, what they want is to increase there votes. PPP wants Sraiki votes, Noon doesn’t want to loose Sraiki votes. All is the game of power, once PP comes to power then Sraiki provinces wont even b talked about.Recommend
& than what is going to happen if Punjab is divided into two provinces will it end the sufferings of people of southern Punjab or on a larger scale of the people of Pakistan… will it end Load shedding? Will it end poverty? Will it be helpful in administration of the province… Nothing will change
Sorry to say but this may b a one step forward towards the division of Pakistan Recommend
Madam Awan must understand the gravity of the issue!!
Its easy to demand a separate province from opposition’s stronghold. What will she say about the demand of Muhajiristan & the division of Sindh!!! We must understand that Pakistan is not in the state to bear such useless confrontation at this point of time.
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Why is everyone afraid of Seraiki? A Seraiki Province is not equivocal to “Azad Balochistan”. And Seraiki case is not equivalent to Mohajir (Seraikis are no migrants to Punjab). More than half of Punjab’s land is made up of Seraikis, then why is everyone denying their identity and right and mixing it with other issues of the country? Europe is formed on linguistic bases, all the indian states were formed on linguistic bases for better management (UP 200 Million, Goa 0.15 million ). What PML-N has got in its mind?Recommend
Pakistan is a small country with no comparison to India and USA. Our policy makers try to copy others and never come up with ideas basing on ground realities. Provinces should be limited and within provinces the administration should be such that local people have access for resolution of their issues.
Divisions on Linguistic base should strongly be condemned. Shame on our politicians
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What I believe is that the more the provinces are the better the governance. The system will become more clear that is atleast what I think.
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I think we should spin off these provinces into separate countries altogether. Just like Sudan. That will take care of most of the problems.
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why dont we acknowledge what is the real problem with us. its that we are muslims??Recommend
Karachi+Hyderabad = Urdustan Province.
We the people of Southern Pakistan have been saying this for decades. Time has come for more provinces for better administration in Pakistan.
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Abbas Abbassi
There was no such thing as a ‘Seraiki’ 30 years ago, People who have been Punjabis for centuries are now calling themselves something else. This is worrying and has serious implications in a country with so many problems already. Already Bahwalpur is saying it will not accept being a part of this province and wants provincial status itself. Where does this end? The Seraiki belt btw consists of only around 15% of Punjab’s population. Apart from Multan and Muzzafargarh most of the rest is sparsely populated desert.
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We not trust our politicians to be our true representatives and are waiting for the next elections.We pray to have next elections before it is too late. If this Government wants to carve new provinces in Punjab which will be followed by similar demands from other provinces,
it should go for REFERENDUM to arrive at people’s choice.
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lol @ Urdustan province.
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The heaven has not fallen down if PML-(N) is opposing for creation of a separate Seraiki province in Punjab.
Firdous Ashiq Awan has said that Punjab has a population of 120 million people and administratively it is a tough job to handle such a large population.
I would like to argue with the Federal Information Minister that Karachi also has a population of 1.8 million people and administratively it is also a tough job for the government to handle such a large population.
The Provincial Government of Sindh has miserably failed to control law and order situation in Karachi and hundreds of people have been killed in ethnic violence, therefore, it is also necessary that Karachi should also be made a separate province. Recommend
Why so much frowning on a Karachi province , if Seraiki , Hazara et al can have thier own , why not the most literate chunk of this land can have thier own administrtive unit to govern themselves and solve their problems ? Why all the time they have to be ruled by Land barons from far far away land who donot even know Karachi and its people
The outsiders eye Karachi as the golden egg laying goose .All o them just benefitting from it , nobody owns it !!!! Thats the reason when it comes to a separate province of Karachi they just get themselves together ,vehemnetly opposing , leaving behind all of their year old enemity !!!! This cannot go on long ………………..
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i need a tension free province …
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PML-N is already a thrash party with junghoo type of individuals now calling shots. Yes, there is a need to carve four provinces from within Punjab and three each from Baluchistan and KP.
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have our leaders gone nuts again ? or is it just me who still drinks pepsi with a straw ?
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The new perception that Punjab and the so-called Punjabi elite is source of all troubles is being promoted as a part of a sinister plan to malign security forces (mostly Punjabi) and fragment or “balkanize” Pakistan. Remember; Punjab and the security forces will be the last citadel to thwart these sinister designs. Before you demand Punjab break-up into new provinces, please read the details of that sinister plan.:
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My Appeal to Peoples Party Administration that the Fight of Rana Sanaullah and Babar Awan, have to stop here. If you have some misunderstandings you have to solve it personally, not to break provinces. You are totally failed to gave peace to Karachians, its means that Karachi have to be in Two Pieces(Two Cities) ? Please Focus on Peace, Loadshading, Target Killings, Eyes on Terrorists of MQM, High Prices. Have you achive these targets ?
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@Natasha Suleman: Well, the name has been around for at least 150 years: Karachi.
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@Natasha Suleman:
Well Jinnahpur would suffice. You wouldn’t mind any province being named after the founder of Pakistan, would you?
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@Natasha Suleman:
Ma’am Natasha, while you laugh at other people, I laugh at your naivety!! Its like you are the Nawaz Sharif equivalent who considers Zardari a fool and laughs at the latter, but in the end in fooled himself.
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It was the Sikhs who conquered Seraiki Areas, Kashmir, Hamachal and Haryana and merged with Punjab. Indian Punjab was already split into three provinces based on ethnic bases Haryana, Hamachal Pardesh and Punjab. Moreover, annexation of Bahawalpur is a recent example of Punjab’s exploitation of the Seraikis.
Well the name “Seraiki” may be new but the culture is as old as the ancient culture of Indus. You cannot force people to adopt false identities. If languages are the source to hatred, then eliminate Punjabi, Sindhi and all other identities and Call Punjab, Sindh etc as Pakistan 1 , Pakistan 2, Pakistan 3 etc.
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@Salman Orangiwala:
Another example of your myopic thinking where you believe that everyone in Pakistan hates Karachi and Muhajirs. Anyways, Altaf Hussain himself denied the demand of any new province by breaking Karachi and Hyderabad away from Sindh…moreover, he has called himself a Son of Sindh on numerous occassions….not to forget how PPP,ANP and MQM were on the same page criticizing Shahbaz Sharf when he talked about making Karachi a separate province earlier this year.
Even in the most recent press conference both Ishrat-ul-Ibad and Babar Awan were discussing the initiatives about bringing peace back in Karachi where MQM denied any demand of a new province for Urdu Speakings.
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Pakistan provinces
GB
PATA & FATA as Qabaail
Khyber Abaseen
Kohistan
Pothohar
Central Pasban
Southern Pasban
Vadie Soon (Khushab, DG Khan, DI Khan)
Upper Mehran
Coastal Mehran
Tharparkar
Upper Balochistan
Western Balochistan
Coastal Balochistan
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Pakistan should be divided on the basis of administrative units of Divisions of British era and all these should be called states instead of provinces.
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