LAHORE: The Punjab Assembly speaker said on Friday that he would move Lahore High Court (LHC) against the formation of a commission for carving out new provinces out of Punjab.
A commission for the creation of new provinces in Punjab was constituted by National Assembly Speaker Dr Fehmida Mirza – though only 12 of the 14 members of the commission have been notified.
The two remaining names are still awaited from the Punjab Assembly, which has to nominate two provincial legislators to the commission.
Speaking to a few journalists in his chamber, Speaker Rana Muhammad Iqbal said that he would neither nominate the two members nor own the commission formed by the federal government.
Iqbal said that as the speaker of the Punjab Assembly, he would first move the LHC and then approach the apex court.
He said that commission’s scheduled meeting on August 28 was a conspiracy against the province of Punjab.
The Punjab Assembly speaker demanded that Punjab should be given representation of 24 MPAs in the commission.
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Asking Seraikis to ldecide is like letting the Balochis decide in plebacite that they want to stay with Pakistan. There is no harm but you cant let them. Besides only 55% of people in Seraiki belt are ethnical Seraikis. What about the other 45% non Serikis.
@ Seema, Seraiki is a form of Punjabi and please do not forget that the actual Punj-aab (i.e., 5 rivers) is in Dera Ghazi Khan (Punjnad) the place where the 5 rivers actually meet and converge into river Indus. By merely crafting South Punjab province (on the whims of PPP & its ethnic allies) will not solve the problem since the new province will have enhanced representation in Senate because there will be 2 Punjabs and the miseries of Upper Sindh will be further complicated. Why every opportunist has shut up on creation of Hazara, Fata, Pakhtoon/Shumali Balochistan and Southern Sindh?? PPP has always played Sindh Card, MQM has played Mohajir Card and comminist-ANP plays "Pukhtoon Card". All 3 of these ethnic parties have got nothing to do with North or South Punjab. Creation of provinces must be on administrative grounds and never on linguistic or ethnic grounds.
@Iram: good but i hope that court will not take notice becauese they have already announced two judicial center in multan as well as in lahore
Qaisrani & Co...! Rhetoric can't be the alternate of logic based upon irrefutable history, diverse language & culture having rainbow of peculiar dialects, geography and above all saints across the land of 5 rivers imparting universal message of humanity, peace, magnanimity and love having no difference in their tone and whatsoever... It is internet rather your Pakistani/establishment controlled public & private media, where you arbitrarily air/project saraiki myth merely based upon concoctions, coined & twisted stories... So come upon with something concrete, which I am dead sure you don't have as the term Saraiki itself was coined few decades back... Remember nations, their land/regions, language, culture, name etc. are never invented by some individuals or a bunch of exploiters to divide and rule but it is a spontaneous evolutionary process of hundred of thousand years through which they emerge in a purely natural manner without any alien intervention/s...!
peoples of saraikistan wat their own province as this was occupied by ranjeet singh nowwe want libration from punjab
@Zubair: Are you kidding me??Punjabi as persecuted.Oh no. Ask from Afghanistan to Bangladesh,each inch of land is persecuted by so called persecuted(as per your definition) "Punjabis".Lahore is not my beautiful city.The people who love Lahore must leave Saraiki land to emigrate there.Saraikistan is for all the Saraikistanis without any discrimination,be it Saraiki,Punjabis or urdu speaking. Division is inevitable.
i dont know why we r fighting,,,, instead of going to LHC, speaker should concern ppl of south punjab, what they want... to finish this issue, punjab govt should go for referendum.. that ll clearly shows the opinion of ppl..... nobody can force his/her opinion on others..... even punjabi speaking to saraiki speaking...
@Qaserani
I am Punjabi with roots in Seraiki belt, a real local of Khanewal and Rajanpur. Unlike 'few' I am loyal to my Punjab and Seraiki belt and I have been loyal for last 3000 years. I did not come with Mir Chakar Rind, destroyed Villages, employed mercenaries but my ancestors fought for their land. Yes my Punjabi brothers fought till the very end, the usurpers and imperialists from west side of Dera Ghazi Khan and Rajanpur. Come on Qaiserani bro, be loyal to your beloved Punjab. Punjab is our mother and Lahore is our beloved city. Come on :)
I also wonder how people who live in one area consider their nighbours not equals and try to align with ethnic group to whom they belong and want their neigbours to live in virtual slavery;Pathetic
Sindh you are next!
The PPPP is obsessed with dividing Punjab in the hope that it would hide its incompetence that has brought Pakistan to the brink of economic collapse. If today the Punjab is divided on ethnic lines, does PPPP think that other provinces, including Sindh, will not follow the trend. The state should take decision very, very carefully. In 1974 the PPP government under ZA Bhutto declared Ahmedis nonMuslims, setting in a dangerous trend. Today we are witness to the horrible consequences of that fateful legislation. So if the PPPP thinks that the South Punjab would give it the short term benefit - five more years in the government - it should be ready for a lesser Sindh in the days to come. The PPPP will weep, beat its chest against the 'injustice', would present itself as the innocent and muzloom martyr, but the trend of division will take its toll.
btw Punjab is a pluralistic province with so many ethnic groups living in it. From Jatts and rajputs to Balochs and Syeds. and sadly The real locals are the one's who have been minority in southern Punjab buy outsider and now they want new land. I wonder why dont they be happy with what they have, be grateful.
@Zubair: Either you are Saraiki or You are Saraiki-Punjabi,you can't be both at the same time.This land against whom you have so much grudges is providing you and million more from Khanewal to RYK and Rojhan sanctuary too.You must be loyal to the land, not to the usurper "takht e Lahore".
@MMM:
Making more provinces = bigger government, more chief ministers, more looting, corruption and nepotism. Splitting Punjab would achieve what renaming NWFP achieved that is nothing. On a second thought the only thing came out of renaming NWFP was an unpronounceable name.
@Qaiserani:
Either you can call yourself a Baloch or Seraiki-Punjabi, you cant be both at the same time. Of course we shall be very glad if you own your province,your land of Punjab like we do because this land provided you and million others a sanctuary. :)
@Kaleem:
I never understood myself how Punjab gets the blame for East Pakistan fiasco. Yahya Khan was pushtoon, Bhutto Sindhi and Mujeeb Bengali.
@ravindra sharma:
Agree with you. And you forgot to add the smaller the states the higher the likelihood of separatist movements. Seven sister states of India being prime example.
We cannot allow PMLN which is Punjabi ethnic party and Lahore highcourt which is Punjabi court to decide fate of Saraikis.only people and Politicians of the area have the right to decide what they want.
And we Saraikis want freedom from slavery of "takht e lahore".
@ravindra sharma: Thankyou so much for this information. I hope people will read it and realise that its all a game of political and economic gains. In the past India was divided in the name of Islam and now it is no where to be seen in Pakistan :(. We all should strive for unity.
@Syed Kashif Nawaz: I think they were Beharis and Pak Army, because of them Bangladesh was separated NOT Punjabis. I am a very big supporter of small provinces as I have lived in Rahim Yaar Khan for 10 years and found no progress there at all. But When i came to Lahore i saw that this great 3400 years old city without good roads and transportation facilities. Therefore if lower Punjab is not developing, its not because that all funds were invested in Lahore but the reason being corrupt people in politics. Creating new provinces wouldn't resolve this issue. People will remain the same. We don't need new provinces we need better, stable system with check and balance.
No sir! it is not for the political elite of Punjab to decide. It is for people of the concerned areas to choose if they want a province of their own or not. We cannot allow our resources to be spent in Lahore any more......
Nothing less than a stay order you get from Sharif courts!
I am from Bihar , India and I have seen the bifurcation of Bihar 12yrs back. Greedy politicians of Delhi bifurcated Bihar into two states Bihar and Jharkhand and mineral rich Jharkhand is now being looted by powerful politicians of Delhi , treasury and opposition both . So please take lession and dont bifurcate any state of pakistan. The smaller the states are more prone to be looted by fedral govt
Game for Point scoring by political parties for incoming Election if will be held in earlier in next year. MQM move for divided Punjab and Pukhtunkhwa, In Karachi they have not allowed to create another District. Because they also demanding own land with example of Punjab after divided as soon as possible. Why they left to insist for HAZARA province.
@Syed Kashif Nawaz: We will not allow people like yoû , MQM and ANP to destroy the prularlism of Punjab.
So finally, Mian & Company have revealed their true faces to the nation by opposing the creation of new provinces! I already knew and so did they that they'll be politically dead with Punjab's division. Mian G! Time to look back and reuse your Dad's startegy ; One Crore = One MNA, however, due to price hike more spending maybe in the offing but you are used to doing it afterall all your investments have and some are still paying off including "CPz" Courts Purchases! So go for the kill and use your recently announced 3 E's which are: EXPENSIVE but worth buying ELIMINATE whomsoever opposes EXIT to Jeddah/London if in trouble
What about Seraikies?.... they should deiced whether they want to live under the thumb of Punjabis....... That land belong to them not punjabis.
The Majority of South Punjab wants a separate province for their rights, PMLN & allies still trying to oppress them, Punjab already caused damage to Pakistan by oppressing Bengali & Balochi people resulting in separation of East Pakistan & Separatist Movement in Balochistan. We Pakistanis wont let them do this anymore! South Punjab, Bahawalpur & Hazara Provinces are out destiny! No one can stop us!
@FaiseiH & Zubair......you have aptly & forcefully represented the majority opinion of Punjabis.We won't let it happen come what may.No one will be allowed to divide Punjab for political & personal nefarious designs.
I am urdu speaking from Karachi, no one has any bussiness to tell Punjab what to do, if there is need for more provinces in punjab, Punjab assembly should decide that and no one else, ppl should realize if Punjab is forced this way tomorrow no province shall expect any favor.
Whatever he will ask he will get 10 times more than that. Even if he wants the banning of any demand for Sariaki and Bahawalpur province for ever he will get along with this the permission to the Punjab Govt to start construction of Kalabagh Dam..
Let Punjabis decide what they want out of their land. Outsiders have no business in our land. If Punjabis want to then Punjab shall be divided but if federal government is not willing to give us majority of representation in commission then Punjab wont ever be divided, we wont let it.
It is appalling that commission consists of most anti Punjab politicians. There should be more Punjabi and seraiki politicians in the commission. We wont let outsiders dictate us.
No to the Division of Punjab.One with India was enough. Punjab should not be sacrificed at the altar of self serving politics.
A friend in need is a friend indeed. Hope LHC will not let down his best friend as usual.