ANP questions MQM’s support for Seraiki province

Says tabling a resolution in the NA is ‘against the law’.


Umer Farooq January 05, 2012

PESHAWAR: The Awami National Party (ANP) has termed the Mutahidda Qaumi Movement’s (MQM) move for a Seraiki province in the National Assembly a political gimmick, saying that the MQM was silently paving way for a separate province in Sindh.

Talking to reporters at the Peshawar Press Club, ANP provincial president Senator Afrasyab Khattak said that his party also supported a Seraiki province in Punjab and added that a Seraiki unit of ANP still exists.

However, he termed MQM’s move of tabling a resolution in the National Assembly against the law.

“A resolution [regarding provinces] must be submitted in the provincial assembly. Tabling a resolution demanding a province within a province in the National Assembly is wrong and against the law,” Khattak said.

He accused the MQM of having double standards, saying that if an addition of a single district in Karachi is unacceptable to the MQM, how can they demand more provinces in the country.


Khattak also said that the MQM should accept people from all parts of the country.

“If the MQM wants to make people happy, they should let all those who belong to different areas of the country, live peacefully in Karachi,” he said, adding that till dead bodies keep being recovered in Karachi, the MQM will continue facing hardships staying in politics.

Talking about the Hazara movement for a separate province, Khattak said that the movement had no background and started just after the North West Frontier Province was renamed Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, January 5th, 2012. 




COMMENTS (17)

Ayaz Munir | 12 years ago | Reply

@iamshakil: Brother I would surely agree with you , if the seraikis did not feel deprived of their rights, an un-divided Punjab would only work in case the Seraikis have their rights, otherwisethe hatred & dissappointment would increase. Think of Pakistan man, if we need to be united we need to give all the people their rights,& as per the current condition Punjab should be divided to give people their rights.

Make Pakitan better Pakistan Zindabad

aysha | 12 years ago | Reply

@iamshakil: death to emtionalism. It is important to understand administrative needs and do what is best for the people of Punjab. All parties agree to have more provinces, all that is needed is to develop consensus and to move towards the common objective, the beginning of which lies in debating the issue with an open mind

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