Petition challenges commission on new provinces

Petition filed by chairman of Watan party challenges commission constituted for creation of new provinces.


Our Correspondent August 30, 2012
Petition challenges commission on new provinces

LAHORE: A constitutional petition has been filed with Supreme Court’s Lahore registry on Thursday challenging the commission constituted for the creation of new provinces.

A petition filed by chairman of Watan party Barrister Zafarullah Khan stated that the commission formed was discriminatory and did not represent the concerned parties.

He further added that its application was limited to a specific purpose and province.

He argued that if a new province would help in administration, it could be made through provincial assemblies and national assemblies, provided they are passed by two thirds majority. He further claimed that the commission formed was against Articles 239 (4) and 4, 5 and 8 of the Constitution.

“Pakistan today is a mirror of our political and ethical imperfections. This issue could have been raised during the 18th constitutional amendment,” he contested.

The Barrister said that the president did not have the power to constitute a commission, and that provinces were being made on the basis of ethnicities.

Terming the idea of a new province as fake, the petitioner argued “if new provinces were being made for the welfare of people then how do we have a Seraiki prime minister, Seraiki governor and a Seraiki foreign minister, whose husband is the biggest defaulter of electricity bills in Punjab.”

The petitioner prayed that the commission should be set aside.

COMMENTS (17)

amanat | 12 years ago | Reply

There is no need to divide Punjab to fulfill the desires of a few self-made p0liticians who are actually corrupt individuals like Yousaf Raza Gilai and a few others to achieve their own evil designs.to hide their corruption. Such people are doing nothing except creating hatred between the people of the same province. They are not rendering any service to the country and the province of Punjab. PML(N) should openly oppose the division of Punjab with full force instead of showing "munafaqat" by saying that they also favour creation of a new province simply to get a few seats in the assemblies. Choudhry Brothers have shown their selfishness by supporting division to get a few seats in the Southern Punjab. Pakistan cannot afford further division of Punjab.

Atika | 12 years ago | Reply PML-N’s reluctant acquiescence in the creation of a new province in south Punjab has its source in the agitation in Hazara of 2010 following the passage of the 18th Amendment, when the PML-N supported renaming NWFP as Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, thereby losing its base of support in the Hazara region, previously a PLM-N stronghold. By supporting the creation of a new province in south Punjab, PML-N has sought to prevent a re-enactment of the Hazara episode, hence leaving open the door to future political inroads in what is considered PPP territory. Obviously the PML-N does not want its ‘fiefdom’ of Punjab to be divided. Keeping in view the plight of people living in Southern part of Punjab, division of province is pertinent. PML-N is playing politics on the issue; it should rise above the partisan interests and pay heed on the agonies of people of Southern part.
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