New provinces: MQM agrees with President Zardari on Seraiki province

MQM wants provinces bill to be taken out of ‘cold storage’.

KARACHI: The Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) welcomed President Asif Ali Zardari’s statement on taking practical steps towards the creation of a province for the Seraiki-speaking belt in Punjab.

In a statement issued on Sunday, the MQM Coordination Committee said that the efforts were a positive sign, and it called for similar steps to be taken for the creation of a Hazara province. On Saturday, President Zardari asked Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani to start consultation with political parties for a Seraiki province, and on Sunday, he directed the government to establish a separate bank for the region.

The Coordination Committee asked for the MQM’s bill on the creation of Seraiki and Hazara provinces, which was submitted in the National Assembly, to be taken out of ‘cold storage’ and be discussed.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 16^th, 2012.