Governor’s trip: PPP will support a Bahawalpur province, says Governor Khosa

Says law minister does not know to create a new province.

BAHAWALPUR:

The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) is trying its best to ensure the formation of a Bahawalpur province, Governor Sardar Latif Khan Khosa said on Wednesday.

Speaking to media and party members at the Circuit House during a one-day visit, he said the services of (late) Nawab Sir Sadiq Muhammad Khan (Khamis) Abbasi for Pakistan could never be forgotten.

He said the law minister was wrong when he says the Bahawalpur province could only be set up though an executive order.

He said no new province could be created that without a two-third majority in the parliament supporting it. He said President Asif Ali Zardari had twice directed for the formation of a Parliamentry commission to decide about the formation of province.

He accused the provincial government of not being sincere on the matter.

“We believe new provinces should be formed with a consensus but we do not favour language-based politics,” he said.

He said the PPP government was trying to resolve the electricity crisis.

He said Rental Power Plants had generated 36,000MW. He also said several IPPs were forced out of the country as a result of poor policies followed by the previous regime. He said the provinces were now allowed to develop their own power supply grid but the provincial government did not invest in that.

“Their priorities are wrong. They only distribute laptops and install mechanical tandoors that fail to operate,” he said. He criticised Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif and accused him of provoking protestors to disturb law and order. “Instigating public unrest is not the calling of a chief minister,” he said.

He said people have the right to criticise the government; but not to harm the state. He said the PPP believed in political reconciliation but the PML-N had other motives.

He said the new chief election commissioner, Justice (retd) Fakharuddin G Ibrahim was appointed on the PML-N’s recommendation to ensure a free and fair election in 2013. Earlier, during a visit to Islamia University Bahawalpur, Khosa said educational institutes needed to produce leaders, not clerks.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 3^rd, 2012.