Pakistan

Government open to new provinces from Punjab: PM

Gilani says government would be open to demands if the people of Bahawalpur launched a movement for new province.

Jalal Bhatti/kashif Zafar February 22, 2011

BAHAWALPUR: The government is open to creating new provinces in areas that now constitute Punjab, said Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani on Monday.

The prime minister said that if the people of Bahawalpur launched a movement calling for granting provincial status for the district, the government would be open to their demands, though he emphasised that any change would have to comply with constitutional constraints.

This is not the first time the prime minister has expressed openness to the idea of newer provinces being created out of Punjab, though the first time he has spoken about the possibility reviving Bahawalpur’s provincial status, which it had from its accession to Pakistan in October 1947 until it was integrated into the West Pakistan province in October 1955.

On January 25 last year, Gilani told a group of supporters in Multan that the government was open to the creation of a Seraiki province in southern Punjab. However, he was cautious in pointing out that the Constitution requires a two-thirds majority of parliament to vote for the creation of a new province, a level of support which the PPP-led coalition does not have.

The more welcoming response of the prime minister to the idea of new provinces stands in contrast to the vehement opposition by the Pakistan Muslim League- Nawaz (PML-N) to the idea of creating new provinces out of Punjab. The PML-N currently holds a majority in the Punjab Assembly and Shahbaz Sharif, one of the leaders of the party, serves as the provincial chief minister. The PML-N has historically drawn more support from the northern areas of Punjab than the southern areas of the province.

The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) has been supportive of decentralising governance from Islamabad towards provinces during its current term. The party led the passage of the Eighteenth Amendment to the constitution which enhanced the powers of provincial governments. It also gave the Northern Areas of Pakistan more autonomy and renamed the region Gilgit-Baltistan.

(additional input from farooq tirmizi in karachi)

Published in The Express Tribune, February 22^nd, 2011.

COMMENTS (17)

A R Khan Yusufzai | 13 years ago | Reply When Hazara was on fire (with people asking for a new province) everyone calling it a “fundamental right”. If that right has to be admitted let Karachi become a separate province and rest of Sindh another. Similarly, Seraiki belt becoming separate province and Balochistan too divided in two provinces. Let the people have their voices heard and problems resolved. Once all this is done…remove Khyber from “Pakhtunkhwa”. God bless this country and direct the fellow countrymen to work for its “Welfare”.

khaleel tetlay | 13 years ago | Reply Now that we at it, how about adding Toba Tek Singh to the list of potential provinces?

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Zahid | 13 years ago | Reply Please think positively, To compare Sindh with Punjab is totally illogical, disintegration of Sindh into more provinces will create problems for everybody and for Pakistan, and experts know about that very well, however disintegration of Punjab is indeed a real requirement of time for integrated Pakistan. If somebody is saying that other provinces should be disintegrated thats nothing but only counter attack.

Anwar Rahim | 13 years ago | Reply Provinces required as under. People of these areas have suffered a lot under existing provincesand Federal Government: 1.Chitral 2.Pakhtoon Khawa 3.Tribal Areas 4.Gilgit 5.Baltistan 6.Punjab 7.Bahawalpur 8.Saraeki Suba 9.Sindh 10.Karachi 11.Balochistan 12.Pushtun Suba ( Pushtun in Baluchistan ) 13 Hazara ( Hazara of KP ) 14.Kashmir

TIPU | 13 years ago | Reply Saraiki Province should be created . it will make Pakistan more stronger and unite.

Yousaf | 13 years ago | Reply Faisal Awan is right... I would like to add little more: There should be only Governor and his team, no CM required. Like wise, only President of the federation, no PM. Only Defense, Currency, Communication, Transportation, Foreign Affairs should be under Federal government. Ministers should be appointed for these 5 departments. All provinces must be freed to implement laws, revenue and collection of taxes, duties, etc. and a sum of or %age of the collection should be given to Federal gov't for the above mentioned ministries.

Ayesha | 13 years ago | Reply We cant manage the provinces we have right! I shudder to think what we'll do if more sprout...this will set off a chain reaction...with every region wanting more autonomy...

Aqeel Ahmed Khan Sherwani | 13 years ago | Reply Thats a good idea - Southern Punjab should have its own province. Multan should be its Capital. It will help them to alleviate their poverty and backwardness.

Faisal Awan | 13 years ago | Reply Why only Punjab? Pakistan was created as a country and not as four or five provinces. Provinces are created for better management, control and for sense of belonging. We should create more provinces by dividing the current 4 provinces and should also give full provincial status of FATA, PATA and notheren area. As Pakistani, I feel that following new province should be created i. Bhawalpur ii. Sawat iii. Hazara iv. Saraiki Suba v. Baluchistan should be divided into 3-4 provinces and Makran should be under Federal Capital as it was bought by the government of Pakistan from the Taxpayers money

Natasha S. | 13 years ago | Reply As soon as the economy settles down,this is what we need to do on priority basis. Carve more provinces out of every province. Punjab esp.

Dr. Saleem Siddiqi | 13 years ago | Reply Why from Panjaab and not from Sindh. Sindh's urban population needs suffocation and needs to be separated from rural Sindh for proper growth and effective administration. It is high time if the division of Sindh is considered to creat new Provinces. When India can create new provinces for administrative ease, why not Pakistan learn from her experience. However, having said this, Government MUST reduce size of provincial size of Cabinet / advisers to cut un-productive cost. On the other hand, Federal Government must also be of little sized and most of the portfolios transferred to Provinces.

Walid Janjua | 13 years ago | Reply This is just great. This is just what happened to Yugoslavia. Lets more provinces, lets give them more power and autonomy and then lets make then fight over money and resources with things like the NFC award. This is great. Just great.

Billoo Bhaya | 13 years ago | Reply Muslim history is replete with bad rulers carving and dividing provinces as a means of surviving or buying influence. Since 1277 when Mamluke Sultan Beybar of Egypt defeated the Mongols at Keysari, Islamic nations have fought among themselves devastating their own lands and people. Pakistan got 5 provinces from the British of which one was lost in 1971 because we could not agree amongst ourselves. Now NWFP is to be carved into 2 with Hazara going its own way from Khyber-Pakhtunkhhwa. Punjab is to be dissected from Bahawalpur. Instead of consolidating together a trend is being set to create more provinces to fight for water and resources among themselves. PM Giliani does this to allow his family to plunder as a policy. Isn't it about time to rise like the Arab nation against our corrupt rulers?? Why has the Pakistani nation lost its soul?? We need to read and understand Iqbal's Shikwa and Jawab e Shikwa written at a time when Muslim Sultanate of Delhi had vanished and the Indian muslim was lost in the wilderness. That time has come again.

syed kamran | 13 years ago | Reply we urdu speaking,gujrati speaking,memoni speaking people want an identity in pakistan also.we've been living & dying here for over 60 years.We work,pay taxes here but have no province of our own. If a new saraiki province is to be built by the ppp,then please give us our province too.karachi & hyderabad should be made a new province.

shahid allahabadi | 13 years ago | Reply New provinces will make pakistan stronger. A province for the muhajir community of karachi & hyderabad will only serve to make pakistan stronger as the mqm has shown how greatly it can carry out development of the areas under its control.The new province of the muhajirs will be a model province for the world to see.

abdul rehman | 13 years ago | Reply Why only new provinces from punjab?? Why this deliberate campaign against punjab by the ppp? If new provinces will be made then it would be from all the 4 provinces: the muhajirs will have a province of their own in sindh & sindh will be divided. The hazara people in KP will have their "sooba hazara" The pashtuns in balochistan who now make up 50% of the population there will have their own province in balochistan The saraikis will have their province .

Ali Haider | 13 years ago | Reply The PM is now trying to play a dirty game. He can not deliver but wants his seat as the PM. Height of selfishness at the stake of the people.

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