Legislators from Balochistan, where the army and paramilitary have been fighting insurgents since independence, voiced strong opposition on Thursday to the idea of creating new provinces in Pakistan “for being detrimental to the national interest”.
The Balochistan Assembly members engaged in a raging debate on the proposal for new provinces, prolonged power outages and the deteriorating law and order.
Sheikh Jaffer Mandokhel of the PML-Q said this issue will not be confined to Punjab, it will engulf Sindh, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan where people will rise to demand new provinces. Some politicians have raised the issue to protect their vote banks, he said.
Provincial Minister for Health Aynullah Shams of the JUI-F was of the view that the issue requires more deliberation and can only be resolved through consensus for which a parliamentary committee comprising all political parties must be formed.
PML-N MPA Capt Abdul Khaliq Achakzai said that “New provinces created on the basis of ethnicity would be dangerous for the country.”
Minister for Sports and Culture Shahnawaz Marri said that the law and order situation is deteriorating in Balochistan with each passing day.
Buledi said political workers and leaders continue to be picked up and their mutilated bodies are dumped in the open. All stakeholders and political forces must evolve a strategy to control the prevailing situation, he added. Shams said he would call for an all parties’ conference on behalf of his party for restoring peace. Every political party has to play its role in normalising the situation in Balochistan, he added. Provincial ministers also expressed strong resentment over long hours of load-shedding in Balochistan .
Published in The Express Tribune, August 12th, 2011.
COMMENTS (8)
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ
Time for Makran province.
Makrani people have their own culture, traditions, history & sports especially football.
With Gwadar as our port Makran province can be the richest province of Pakistan.
Long Live Makran province....long live Pakistan
The Baloch militancy and inept political authority in place has compelled the Pashtuns and non Balochs to push for a separate province as existed in 1947 and before 1970. The revival of the Chief Commissioners province will bring peace to a large part of area, get rid of the criminals and allow development. The blasting of electric towers, killing innocent people, rocket firing, looting on highways and kidnapping for ransom has destroyed what ever little was achieved. We can have a Provine where merit will be the hall mark of sucess and not district quotas. We can have a public representative elected by the people and not by the weapons and area. We can have a chief secretary who can act above petty ethnicity. We can have a CM who would be capable of handling provincial affairs. As far as Governor of Balochistan is concerned, he is a noble man and such people can do a lot if in power.
To make democracy work and the allow the people real freedom of expression all across the country.First the number of political parties should be reduced to the present number of the Provinces, ie Four only. Next the country should be divided on administrative basis and not ethnic into 18 Provinces plus the Federal Capital Area. Governors should be elected on non- party basis by adult franchise for five years. Federal Government should hold ministries of Finance, Defense, Communication and Foreign Policy. Let this government hold a free and fair referundum with help of five members of OIC on the above proposal.
Balochistan should have been in the forefront for the creation of new provinces. It would bring power to the local people. It would also end the hegemony of Punjab as the big brother. Opposing the creation of new provinces inthe country and in the province, is short sighted and myopic.
@baloch bhai...if you are not an indian stooge..let me tell that you elected them directly through ur vote..it wasnt a punjabi directive... dont blame punjab for ur own incompetence..get off your internet and cozy chair...and go out to make a change in ur so called "occupied" balochistan...
stay illiterate...wen there are schools stay without food..wen its out in the market stay without health ..wen u hav hospitals.. and yeah after all blame punjab..!
@A Baloch From western Balochistan: Do you mean Iranian Baluchistan by "Western"?
The dummy government which is not more than a puppet to Punjabi establishment does not represent the Baloch nation. The Baloch want their occupied country back!!
. The statement has come from members of PML Q and PML N . As a matter of fact both of these parties were the first which initiated the game for Hazara Province in Pakhtunkhwa on ethnic lines after NWFP was named as Pakhtunkhwa. Both these Parties follow different pattern of Politics when it comes to Punjab and other Provinces. PML is a Punjabi Nationalist Party whose orientation is totally like any other nationalist Parties, but when it comes to other provinces, they start speaking of Pakistan. Both the leaders are advised to convince their own leadership first. As far as Balochistan is concerned, the division of the province can be averted, if democracy works in true spirit. Pashtuns should be given seats in the balochistan as per their population. There should be no bar in electing a Pashtun CM and the right of education in professional colleges, jobs and the development be shared. If the political set up is not ready to share development Jobs and education with Pashtuns, then they have all the right to ask for a separate province.