Create Bahawalpur province or kill us: Nawab Abbasi
“Create the Bahawalpur province or kill us. We will not accept any other option,” Bahawalpur National Awami Party (BNAP) chief Nawab Salahuddin Abbasi said on Monday.
He was addressing a press conference at BNAP President Muhammad Farooq Azam’s residence.
Abbasi said that the BNAP would put up candidates at all 48 national and provincial seats in Bahawalpur. He said he himself would run at NA-183 and NA-184.
Abbasi said that some elements were spreading lies about his recent meeting with President Asif Ali Zardari. The meeting, he said, was about nothing except Bahawalpur province.
He said that after the meeting, President Zardari had set up a commission for the creation of a Bahawalpur province and other new provinces. He said the same was discussed in a meeting with the Sharif brothers at Raiwind.
He said he expected to meet Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan soon to discuss the same issue.
He said a Bahawalpur province was the right of the people of the region. He said that in Rahim Yar Khan district, his party would run in the elections on the basis of an understanding with the Muslim League -F of Makhdoom Ahmad Mehmood.
He said his party had picked 18 candidates so far. The final decision, he said, would be make by the party’s parliament board.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 12th, 2012.