Recently, the Prime Minister had announced that next manifesto of PPP would include carving out a new Seraiki province comprising Central and Southern Punjab. Following this resolve of PM, the Deputy Speaker of National Assembly, Mr Faisal Karim Kundi has said that Dera Ismail Khan ought to be included in the newly proposed Seraiki province and if Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province desired they could have a referendum on the issue to know the wishes of people of DIK.
Such a proposal would need to revise the Water Accord of 1991 in that 14% share of water in a new storage dam which was allocated to former KP would go to Seraiki province to a large extent. This would only be possible from Kalabagh dam. It appears the forming of a Seraiki province would be a good omen as the newly proposed province would benefit largely from the new potential source of irrigation water which in its present location cannot be used due to intransigence of ANP on the new dam.
MUHAMMAD YAQOOB BHATTI
Lahore
