The move towards the creation of a Seraiki province gained momentum on Friday as the PML-Q leader in the Punjab Assembly submitted a bill seeking the establishment of a South Punjab province, even as the PML-N – the party most bitterly opposed to the idea – hinted that it might be open to more provinces in the country.
Chaudhry Zahiruddin Khan, a Punjab Assembly member from Faisalabad, submitted a resolution to the provincial legislature’s secretariat seeking the creation of a new province called South Punjab. Khan said that, given the fact that Punjab is the most populous province in the country, it should be divided for administrative purposes to improve governance.
Punjab Assembly Secretary Maqsood Ahmad Malik, however, told The Express Tribune that the resolution is unconstitutional since new provinces are a matter that must be debated in the federal legislature first.
According the Malik, in order to create a new province, a constitutional amendment must be proposed in the National Assembly and must clear both houses of Parliament by a two-thirds majority. The proposal for a new province must then be sent to the legislature of the province whose territory is being affected, where it must again pass with a two-thirds majority.
Malik called Khan’s resolution political point-scoring, saying that he should know better than to introduce a resolution on a federal subject in the provincial legislature.
Yet the momentum for the South Punjab province seems to have affected even the PML-N, the party that had hitherto been vociferously opposed to the division of Punjab.
According to sources familiar with the matter, PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif is expected to chair a meeting on Monday of a 15-member committee constituted to study the issue of new provinces. The sources said that the committee’s recommendations do not reject the creation of new federating units, but instead would propose that the matter be taken up by a commission at the federal level that would judge the proposal for any new province.
Crucially, however, sources within the committee say that they are expected to endorse the creation of two new provinces: South Punjab to be carved out of Punjab and a Hazara province to be separated from territory that now falls under the jurisdiction of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.
The idea for a permanent committee at the federal level that would judge the need for new provinces is borrowed from a similar commission that exists in India. In 1947, India started out with nine states and currently has 28.
PML-N sources, however, were keen to emphasise that they would support more provinces for ‘administrative reasons’ even as the proposals they consider are for provinces based on ethnic lines.
Sharif had constituted the commission on August 1 largely in response to a move by the Pakistan Peoples Party, which says it has been studying the issue carefully for some time now. It has met three times since it was formed.
The committee is headed by party veteran Raja Zafarul Haq and consists of most of the PML-N’s senior leadership, including Makhdoom Javed Hashmi, Iqbal Zafar Jhagra, Zulfiqar Khosa, Sardar Mehtab Ahmad Khan, Ishaq Dar, Ahsan Iqbal, Mamnoon Hussain, Yaqoob Khan Nasir, Abdul Qadir Baloch, Salahuddin Tirmizi, Tehmina Daultana, Arshad Khan Leghari and Chaudhry Jaffar Iqbal.
On Tuesday, PML-N leader Javed Hashmi broke once again with his party’s leadership and said that he would support any legislation to create a new province in south Punjab, saying that the creation of new provinces would help improve the quality of governance in the country.
However, Punjab Law Minister and PML-N leader Rana Sanaullah Khan said on Friday that the PPP is just playing political cards by asking its coalition partner the PML-Q to take the lead on the issue. He said that the PPP was responsible for the break-up of the country 40 years ago – a reference to the independence of Bangladesh in 1971 – and seemed to be aiming to do the same once again.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 6th, 2011.
COMMENTS (22)
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People should stop comparing the political and administrative set-up between Pakistan and the US. There's a whale of a difference between the two countries in terms of political maturity and culture, as well as the level of economic development.
Afghanistan has 26 Provinces and Iraq has 18. Does it Make a difference??
@Junaid: 10 provinces are easier to control than 4.more cheif ministers,more ministers.more power to the people,they ll have less population to worry about,so more devolpment,more jobs,more security.its all good
The beautiful land of Punjab is again being divided. From the one mothers son we have become . Pakistan Punjab ,Indian Punjab ,haryanvis ,himachalis and now Seraikis.
make me the president. 1 province 1 country 1 love
Punjab should be divided into ATLEAST three provinces.
Pakistan's break up is inevitable with this monumental folly. True to form, the politicians are merely concerned about appeasing their constituencies, apaprently in the run up to the next general elections. It's a way of gerrymandering areas to gain and preserve vote banks. Why create additional provinces when the more pressing problem of Karachi City alone, which is rooted in political and ethnic tensions, can't even be managed and solved? Why create more provinces when there is not even enough money to go around with to fund the devolved functions of the central government, unless one resorts to more external borrowings? Why create extra provinces when Pakistan, as it exists now, continues to search for a national identity? Truly, the desire for temporary political gains trumps the need for a united, strong Pakistan. At present, Pakistan is been living one day at a time without any long-term vision and planning. Even if there were such planning, it would have to relate to begging for financial assistance from the international community.
@sunny, at HRD index your country is at 122 (0.519) rank while Pakistan is at 128 (0.490). Even vietnam is at 116 (0.572). Indian and Pakistanies can't understand what is HRD index even it was developed by one Indian and one Pakistani econonists who were working for United Nations. Sunny wake up, do some good work for your country, only your comments can;t change the ground realities. check this out for free, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ListofcountriesbyHumanDevelopmentIndex
a new province for the migrants is needed in sindh.we've developed the industry,the markets,the stock exchange and since now new provinces are being created so a new province carved out of sindh should also be mad now.
as long as the ppp is dividing up punjab it should also declare a new province in karachi and hyderabad for the urdu speaking community.since ppp has a two thirds majority in sindh assembly it can get such a resolution passed easily.
I don't know why people draw these parallels with what happened in India. Different country, different issues - a different kettle of fish altogether. We may one day come to regret this decision, some people in Punjab are already questioning their loyalty to 'Pakistan' after this. The one saving grace is the name of the new province.
nomad: when you cant control 4 provinces how can you control 10. it means 10 chief ministers, 10 x 20= 200 ministers etc. problem is not in system but people who run it.
Ths is the need of the hour. India divided its 9 states to 28 and see where she is now. Pakistan must do the same for better life for its citizens.
soon we will have 56 or so independent states ....we will surely then be a super power ...that's the easy way out ....lets do it!
Please make two provinces of Sindh, Punjab, Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtonkhawah. One thing which is must is that these provinces should not be ethnically named but should be named as Southern Punjab, Southern Sind except for Khyber-Pakhtonkhawa which should be named as Hazara (as it's a demand of the local people).
Divide all provinces. End this debate once for all. Divide all current provinces into 3 each making 12 provinces for better development and growth.
Will this help in eliminating load shedding, terrorism, target killing, corruption, unemployment, high prices of necessities, expensiveness ? If not, then plz dont spend our time and money (taxes) on this irrelevant issue. Thanks in advance A Pakistani Jin
lets have at least 10 provinces and get administrative control of the country, including sindh and Baluchistan.
If the people of south Punjab want another province of their own and not ruled by Lahore, then it is their right to do so. Let the people of s. Punjab only decide the issue instead of making it an honor point by the others. If s. Punjab feels deprived and ruled by the Lahore, then we should not oppose it. Giving democratic rights to govern themselves to s. Punjab is not equal to breaking of Pakistan by any means. Shame on people who talk non sense like that.