LAHORE:
As a parliamentary commission, formed to carve out two new provinces out of Punjab, sat down for the first time on Tuesday, members of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) submitted a resolution in the Punjab Assembly for the creation of yet another province – Potohar.
The tit-for-tat move to counter the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) decision to go ahead with the parliamentary commission formed by National Assembly Speaker on August 16, mandated to reinstate the province of Bahawalpur and to carve out a province out of southern Punjab, is likely to spark a new debate between the opposition and the government.
Several MPAs belonging to PML-N and the Unification Bloc of Pakistan Muslim League Rawalpindi division submitted the resolution, which demands that the federal government form a national commission for the formation of Potohar province, with the Punjab Assembly (PA) secretariat.
Chaudhry Sarfraz Afzal of the PML-N from PP-6 Rawalpindi, who submitted the resolution, told The Express Tribune that he would press the Punjab Assembly Speaker to take up and pass the resolution urgently.
Afzal said that the people of Potohar were deprived of basic necessities and water despite having abundant resources at their disposal such as coal reserves in Chakwal and oil in Attock, Rawalpindi and Jehlum.
Decrying the ‘injustice’ of the parliamentary commission, the PML-N member said carving out only two provinces while ignoring the people of Potohar was unwarranted.
The army chief, director-general of ISI, leader of opposition in the National Assembly, Senate chairman and even the incumbent prime minister hailed from the Potohar region, Afzal added while making a rather unusual case for the formation of a separate province.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 29th, 2012.
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Yes Punjab Government should to make Potohar province and also if they mix it with hazara also then take a name Potohara hazara. and provincial headquarter make Gujar Khan. because this is located in middle of the region and other also other sided people approach it easily. Gujar Khan is also called heart of Potohar. Gujar Khan is also located in the main GT Road. and also have vey good geographical location. I think is it very good option for all of them. Potohar have own status in the world and in also in Pakistan. in own language culture and history.
I am all for splitting up ALL provinces into smaller units, perhaps even to district level. Thats the way it was before the gift of 1973 constitution opened the door to unprecedented levels of political blackmailing, horse trading and lotacracy.
The way Southern Punjab has been ignored for the last sixty years makes it plausible for the segments of society to demand a new province. With that demand echoing from other parts of country like Hazara and even from the Bahawalpur, there needs to be a serious debate as what is actually legit and what just hogwash is. Honestly speaking what does the formation of new provinces will bring for the people of those regions? By making a Seraiki province, Multan would be the capital and might get some boost, but I hardly believe the betterment in other cities like Rajanpur, DG Khan, and others. Furthermore the poor law and order situation and poor governance further fortifies the bifurcation of Punjab into two provinces. The sole of reason of negligence is that PML-N usually ruled Punjab and its lukewarm response to these areas made the situation worst. It is time for PML-N to realize the gravity of issue and shun its stubbiness.
Correction in my comment above.......".but we have to live & die here." Thanks!
One would love to have Potohar province with its Capital in Rawalpindi & not Chakwal or for that matter any other city.I hail from Potohar ,but in actual fact am proud to be called a Punjabi & above all a Pakistani,hence would not like break up of THE PUNJAB at any cost.Mr.Zardari please keep your hands off this sensitive issue to avoid further break up of Pakistan,because you may not live in this country after a while ,but we have to live & die hear.The same request is for Sharif Brothers & those politicians who are trying to fish in troubled waters.
Making new provinces is not solution.with existing system conditions of people of Pakistan will not change even if u make every district a new province.system should be changed and new and educated persons should come into parliments.Pakistan will remain same if persons like jamshed dasti will be in our parliments.
@Awans
Murree and Mianwali are not a part of Potohar. Not culturally at least. Mianwali is a part of Seraiki belt and, Murree and its people are related to Azad Kashmir.
PMLN has become a bunch of idiots driven by their biggest idiot! On one hand they are dying to save the unification of Punjab where they know they have already lost it to PTI and on the other hand they want another province where they reign supreme! I am an ardent advocate of more provinces of they can solve people's issues and break the Thanaydari of family politics at every level but the region must have adequate resources to be a province like GB. The best option would be to make a new province here called Potohar-Hazara and make Rawalpindi as its Capital with Abbottabad as its second largest city and hence both can use and propser their own resources like water, oil, coal and even tourism. But make the other two planned provincesin southern Punjab at the same time as well as people have suffered enough and they need their true representation within their stone's throw distance.
Political stunt.
what is wrong with pml n
Enough is Enough !!! PMLN & PPP have started Noora-khushti again ?? .............. >> This is the Right Time to teach them a Lesson :) >> Vote For PTI , Imran Khan's Tehreek-e-Insaaf Zindabad
What is wrong with this party? why is the pml-n bent on breaking up punjab? first they passed a resolution after ppp's pressure tactics,now they want to break it up further.The pml-n should learn a thing or two from ppp and anp,how they reacted strongly to anyone even suggesting that a new Muhajir and Hazara province be created
PML-N's fresh strategy? Spending away the allocated money of whole Punjab in Lahore by remaking the Ferozpur road again and again instead focusing on energy sector.
Now planing to make Potohar province " a true example of band wagon culture "