PM starts brainstorming on Seraiki province plan
In an apparent attempt to pile pressure on the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), the ruling PPP has geared up deliberations for creation of a separate Seraiki province in southern Punjab.
Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani held back-to-back meetings at an Iftar dinner with parliamentarians of allied parties belonging to the region where they discussed the government strategy.
“The government is considering making an announcement for a separate Seraiki province by the end of this month,” a participant of the meeting told The Express Tribune, here on Tuesday.
He said it is a longstanding demand of people living in the southern Punjab.
Earlier, a former federal minister from the ruling PPP Babar Awan had dropped a broad hint that creation of a new province was on the cards.
The move appears aimed at diverting attention of the public from the ongoing issues while also looking to capture the vote bank for the ruling coalition.
It comes quickly on the heels of a PML-N decision to constitute a special panel to formulate suggestions for creating new provinces in the country.
The PM had invited not only the MNAs from the PPP but also from its newest ally – the PML-Q.
Gilani said the government was committed to the uplift of the underdeveloped areas of Southern Punjab, pointing out that a series of development projects were in various stages of completion.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 3rd, 2011.
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Karachi is a unique densely populated metropolitian city with equal opportunities and it is run by business minded people. Karachi is a business Hub and due to its multiethnic population and other progressive charateristics should be a seperate province in itself, seperate from Sind, so it can continue to progress and be an economically success story for Pakistan.
Carve the country and not the Punjab on administrative lines and not on languistic basis . Upgrade the divisions to provinces
@farrukh bilwany: Please do not include memon and Gujrati.
A muhajir province??????? Y u all forget that one fourth of the population of karachi are pathans, Balochs are also living there 4 centuries beside these punjabis, sindhis, Hazarvals and seraikis are also having a good presence. In this case a province for muhajirs only cannot be made. U should also remember that ur runaway leader call himself a Son of the Sindh soil then still u raise voice 4 a Muhajir province.
Just a question: If Karachi and Hyderabad become a Muhajir province, then what would the capital of Sindh be>?
How in the world can the federal government break up a federating unit without the agreement of the federating unit concerned? For a small and temporary poltical advantage they want to turn the whole of Pakistan into a Karachi? Why do we keep electing these people? Why?
Make Karachi a separate province as well. The economic and industrial output of Karachi is more than what the rest of the nation provides. Therefore it deserves to be separate administrative unit, independent from Sindh. The rest of Sindh is merely excess baggage that Karachi is made to hold.
This move is just to divert attention from karachi killings. There is no such problem in Punjab. Sindh should be devided into two or three provinces to achieve peace. Corrupt gov't trying to hoodwink people. Leave punjab alone
Its a very good idea, Punjab in its current form with such a huge population is very difficult to administer
This government not gonna resolve any problem that is for sure...
in this ramazan a new province for the muhajirs in karachi should also be announced by the government.it is much needed and much deserved by the muhajirs.
mr.PM start brainstorming on a new province in sindh also.the urdu,memoni,gujrati speaking people of karachi want a new province for ourselves.why doesn't the ppp hear our voices,why is the ppp in such a hurry for a new province in punjab only ,why not a new province in sindh also ??
More power to the local people the better for Pakistan. Local people can rule themselves better than people from far away. Great move to empower the people of southern Punjab.