Provincial concerns: ‘No new provinces on linguistic grounds’
Qaumi Tehreek terms division of provinces an anti-state conspiracy.
BUREWALA:
Punjabi Qaumi Tehreek members called a meeting to oppose the division of the province on Sunday. “The division of the province is not acceptable over any linguistic basis and the struggle for a Seraiki province is propaganda launched by anti-state elements,” Markazi Anjumane Tajraan president Muhammad Jameel Bhatti said.
Several civil society members addressed the audience at the press club and said that the people of Punjab had never compromised on national issues and any division of the province over linguistic grounds would mean a destabilisation of the country.
“The Seraiki people are our brothers but some feudals and industrialists want to rule over the poor using langauge as a tool. This is unacceptable,” he said. The speakers said that the creation of new provinces was done on administrative grounds all over the world but the current regime was using it to blackmail their political opponents. “We will launch a large scale protest against the issue and we won’t allow any division of the province on linguistic grounds,” Bhatti added.
The speakers said that Punjabi Qaumi Tehreek Burewala had made a 15-member committee which would obstruct the inclusion of the Vehari district in the purposed Seraiki province.
They said that Vehari district, particularly the people of Burewala, would send their reservations to President Asif Ali Zardari underlying that the Punjabi people were not interested in the inclusion of their areas in the proposed province.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 19th, 2011.
Punjabi Qaumi Tehreek members called a meeting to oppose the division of the province on Sunday. “The division of the province is not acceptable over any linguistic basis and the struggle for a Seraiki province is propaganda launched by anti-state elements,” Markazi Anjumane Tajraan president Muhammad Jameel Bhatti said.
Several civil society members addressed the audience at the press club and said that the people of Punjab had never compromised on national issues and any division of the province over linguistic grounds would mean a destabilisation of the country.
“The Seraiki people are our brothers but some feudals and industrialists want to rule over the poor using langauge as a tool. This is unacceptable,” he said. The speakers said that the creation of new provinces was done on administrative grounds all over the world but the current regime was using it to blackmail their political opponents. “We will launch a large scale protest against the issue and we won’t allow any division of the province on linguistic grounds,” Bhatti added.
The speakers said that Punjabi Qaumi Tehreek Burewala had made a 15-member committee which would obstruct the inclusion of the Vehari district in the purposed Seraiki province.
They said that Vehari district, particularly the people of Burewala, would send their reservations to President Asif Ali Zardari underlying that the Punjabi people were not interested in the inclusion of their areas in the proposed province.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 19th, 2011.