FM seeks consensus on South Punjab

Says PTI has made progress on new province’s creation

ISLAMABAD:

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi told the Senate on Monday that there was progress towards the establishment of South Punjab province and urged the opposition parties to join hands with government for evolving consensus on the issue.

Responding to a point raised by Opposition Leader Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani, Qureshi said that the Punjab government had amended the Rules of Business so that the development budget for South Punjab was formulated separately from North Punjab.

The PTI [Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf] government has made progress towards the establishment of South Punjab province to maintain the balance of the federation,” Quershi said. “The South Punjab Secretariat has started working in Multan and Bahawalpur,” he added.

He said that the creation of province required a two-thirds majority. “If the PTI alone had this majority, we could have taken it forward on our own, but with the support of the opposition, we are ready for the creation of the province,” he added.

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“We have paved the way for the people of South Punjab to have a province so that the balance of the federation can be maintained. “Various parties are of the view that South Punjab becoming a province will create a sense of inclusion among the people of backward areas.”

Qureshi told the house that several parties had supported the PTI’s position on the south Punjab province. “Other parties are also requested to join us in the legislation for further progress on this matter,” he told the Senate.

He said that South Punjab was a backward area and in the past not enough resources were spent on it.

However, he added, the PTI had made progress and a separate development programme will be formulated for the region. Funds allocated for South Punjab would not be transferred to anywhere else.

Earlier, Gilani said that Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) had made great efforts for the establishment of Seraiki province during its tenure but it could not take practical form. State Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Ali Muhammad Khan said that the PPP could not create the province but the PTI would.

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Earlier, Rana Mahmoodul Hassan presented a bill to create South Punjab province. He said that there was sense of deprivation among the people of South Punjab. The Senate Chairman, Sadiq Sanjrani, referred the bill to the relevant standing committee.

The upper house of parliament also demanded an end to Indian atrocities in Indian Illegally-Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) and giving the Kashmiris their right to self-determination in accordance with United Nations resolutions.

On Senator Mushtaq’s motion regarding Rs4.74 per unit increase in electricity tariff, State Minister Ali Muhammad Khan said that NEPRA fixed the price of electricity. He added that the fuel price adjustment was expected to end in the next few months.

The house passed the Motor Vehicle Ordinance 1935 amendment bill moved by the Mohsin Aziz.