Panel resumes work on plan to bifurcate Pindi district

PTI, PPP, PML-N leaders agree on proposal

RAWALPINDI: In order to cope with the challenges with increasing population and to maintain a balance in the provision of better civic amenities through better administration, a high powered committee has resumed the working for dividing Rawalpindi district in new administrative units.

The three leading political parties including Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) have agreed on splitting Rawalpindi district in two parts

According to details available Rawalpindi district will be divided into two parts.

The government intends to make Tehsil Gujjar Khan a new district, Potohar a new district, Kohsar will be formed by merging the tehsils including Murree, Kahuta, Kotli Satyan and Kalar Sayedan. The thickly populated area of Doltala will be given the status of tehsil.

Previously, former prime minister, Raja Pervaiz Ashraf had initiated the move to transform Tehsil Gujjar Khan into Potohar district while likewise ex- premier , Shahid Khakan Abbasi had also started preparations to merge three mountainous tehsils of Murree into  new Kohsar district.

However, these programmes were halted due to the opposition of elected members from those regions.

Further, the political parties have geared up in this regard while the working paper for Kohsar district has also been prepared.

The representatives from political parties will meet the Chief Secretary of Punjab in this regard.

The total population of Rawalpindi district has soared up to 5,456,330 whereas the remaining three districts of Rawalpindi division including Jhelum, Chakwal and Attock are currently populated with 1,222,650, 1,495,982 and 1,883,556 people respectively.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 31^st, 2019.