LAHORE: Following the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N)’s rejection of the new provinces commission, chiefs of various tribes, feudal sardars and activists belonging to South Punjab have come forward questioning the authenticity of the commission and demanding the formation of yet another province, Koh-e-Suleman, The Express Tribune has learned.
Dera Ghazi Khan (DG Khan), one of two divisions of the southern Punjab, which is dominated and ruled by Baloch chiefs, rejected the parliamentary commission on the formation of South Punjab province and Bahawalpur province and demanded the formation of their own Koh-e-Suleman province.
In the unlikely event that their demands are met, Punjab would be divided into five units: South Punjab, Bahawalpur, Potohar, Central Punjab and Koh-e-Suleman. According to many politicians, demands for new Potohar and Koh-e-Suleman provinces have confused and muddled the cause of two agreed provinces, South Punjab and Bahawalpur.
Chief of Leghari tribe and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)’s senior leader Sardar Jamal Khan Leghari and chief of Baloch tribe Qaisrani, PML-N MPA Meer Badshah Khan Qaisrani, have come forward with the demand for a Koh-e-Suleman province.
Their road map is partially supported by other tribes of the belt who have said that if a detailed study on the proposed province is provided, they would be in a better position to decide whether it would be feasible or not.
Jamal Leghari, while talking to The Express Tribune, rejected the commission which is working under the chair of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Senator Farhatullah Babar and demanded the formation of a new national commission in which the road map for the formation of Koh-e-Suleman province is included.
He said that he had a vision for this unit which would be made up of DG Khan division, Musa Khel (Punjab), Dera Ismail Khan, Tank (K-P) and Barkhan district (Balochistan).
He said that Koh-e-Suleman should not be linked with one race. Rather it would be the area where Seraiki, Baloch, Urdu- and Pashto-speaking people could live in harmony.
Leghari claimed that remittances from resource-rich DG Khan and DI Khan could make the proposed province a successful one. He added that he is busy preparing a draft which provides details on the proposed province and plans on visiting all major stakeholders in the area and sharing it with them.
He said that all five big rivers meet in DG Khan, while hill torrents are sufficient for this unit to not only generate electricity to fulfill the demand of the area, but also to sell it outside the province
Qaisrani has already launched a movement in the Punjab Assembly trying to convince the lawmakers of the viability of the area as a separate province.
Chief of Dareeshak tribe Sardar Nasrullah Khan Dareeshak said that first the commission should carve out two provinces Bahawalpur and South Punjab and consider other provinces later.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 1st, 2012.
COMMENTS (10)
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How about another province Jinnah-Nagar where one could live according to Jinnah's vision ref. Augt 11 speech!.
@bugti: my bugti brother .. there is a hugeeeeeeeee area which is called a province and it is the biggest province of Pakistan called balochistan.. and if the inhabitant of that area who happens to b baloch r not happy then they can happily settle in balochistan but dividing punjab is not a solution.. and i believe u will also agree that our province which is called punjab has a big heart .. but it doesnt mean ppl start breaking it or we start killing ppl on the bases of ethnicity and we dont have any single problem wid any ethnicity who is residing in punjab for sharing punjab's resources that is water, land, wheat, food, man power, etc.. and whn u talk about that region u can see and witness urself that the our provincial governor is from that region and he is a baloch too.. i hope u dont mind wat i said but that is a fact... thank you
@Blithe: "90 percent of the construction workers in Lahore are from South Punjab".What should i say,bro,after reading your own comment.Is it divine that Siraikis have to work as labour in Lahore??Donot we have capabilities to be properous like people in GT Road cities while 99% beureaucracy comes from GT Road cities. As far as this chieftain is concerned,we damn care.He is "Takht e Lahore" stooge.They can continue like this for short,but lower middle class is emerging and for us they are the culprits.Rest all the authority rests with "Takht e Lahore" and they will continue our systematic plundering in the name of open merit for Punjab which benefits one particular ethnic group.Now it's up to you to decide,whether to go in line with these chieftains to plunder us or live like brother to us where every one has equal rights. Same muntra was coined and is being propagated until now that Sardars in Balochistan donot want development.Go there and see yourself,the Balochs are not in control of these Sardars any more.Dr Allah nazar baloch resistenace or whateer you is exapmle.He belongs to lower middle class.
Any demand by PMLN MPAs on basis of injustice or attainment of rights is a defacto acceptance of their own discrimination and marginalisation of people outside Central Punjab.
the demand for koh suleman province is just. baloch are the major inhabitant of the area. this area has been neglected by cen pinjab for a long time. adequate funds have not been allocated for the development of the area. Now, they are just to demand for separate province so that their portion of fund is not spent in constructing motorways in cen n upper punjab while they travel on mule tracks.
@Qaisrani: It's your tribal chieftain making this demand . You can't fault Lahore .
Punjab is a pluralistic passage where all live as a melting pot . Language is NOT spoken in terms of race , rather it's spoken in terms of the territory yoû are from.
Anyone in Kasur will speak Kasuri dialect , In Multan Multani , etc.
Lahore is a cosmopolitan city . 90 percent of the construction workers in Lahore are from South Punjab.
Think a million times before you advocate cutting this province in linguistic lines ..,
PML N has to come clear and say NO to division of Punjab . Their dilly dallying has not been appreciated .
These tribal feudals are ruling the area alongside "Takht e Lahore".They can't demand one school or hospital for the betterment of the people as they want to keep them as their slaves in 21st century.Now they have come up with novel idea at the behest of "Takht e Lahore" to destroy the movement which is purely lower middle class demand.They enjoy perks and priviliges while living in Lahore and isb.Education is must to cut their influence short.
"...Like wise in India, we have states based on Religion...." A small correction, it should have been states based on Language and not religion. Error is regretted. Rgds P
I would not call it a comedy of errors but a monumental error in judgement of our forefathers. Undivided India in 1947 was divdied on the basis of relgion and religion alone. Remember any cause without a logic and proper logic at that will wilt with test of time. The religion based formation fell flat on face with the creation of Bangladesh. Now this being the fact how can the Punjabis deny the provience to be divide on the basis of ethnicity and Language. The moment some body objects to the creation, people would start citing the same logic of 1947. However I find the divisions based on language more practicable. It has worked too in European Union, Canada and India. Though Most of the European Countries are Christians, they were smart never to bring in religion. Canada also has 2 languages, English and French. Though English being predominant. French Speaking People are concentrated in the Qubec Region. Like wise in India, we have states based on language. Maratha Speaking Maharastra, Kannada Speaking Karnataka, Telugu Speaking Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Speaking Tamil Nadu (in fact the state named after the language, perhaps there cannot be any paralles any where)like wise Malayalam in Kerala. Rgds P