Former Information Minister Senator Mohammed Ali Durrani has revealed that a national government will soon be announced, which will restore the Bahawalpur province in line with the commitment made by the Father of the Nation. Addressing a press conference at the Lahore Press Club on Sunday, Senator Durrani warned President Asif Ali Zardari against, what he called, a trap set by Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani and some influential landlords to press him not to restore the Bahawalpur province, which would be tantamount to treading on the path of dictator Yahya Khan.
He said some powerful landlords were planning to capture the rich land of Bahawalpur, including the 64,00,000 acres of in Cholistan, in the name of creating a Seraiki province. “Let me tell you that behind the scenes consultations have ended and a national government would soon be announced. We hope that the national government would announce the restoration of Bahawalpur province in line with the commitment made by the Father of the Nation,” he added.
“Bahawalpur is not a hunting ground of some landlords from Multan and DG Khan who had been allotted thousands of acres of land by the British Raaj. Now after plundering the poor people of Multan and DG Khan, some PML-Q members, who are not acceptable to President Asif Zardari, are trying to follow the conspiracy hatched by Prime Minister Gilani to appease him by supporting his bid to conquer the 64,00,000 acres of Cholistan’s land,” he alleged.
Senator Durrani, who is also the chief of Muttahida Bahawalpur Mahaz, advised Gilani to focus on resolving the issues faced by the country rather than dreaming to be the chief minister of Seraiki Province, bulldozing the rights of the people of Bahawalpur. “This is also a test case for the PML-Q leadership. Let us see whether they opt to be a part of a conspiracy or they support the cause of Bahawalpur province,” he remarked. Asked whether he was opposed to the creation of Seraiki Province, Durrani said the people of Bahawalpur were supportive of any province, which did not hinder their just demand.
“People from all ethnic, lingual and religious groups in Bahawalpur support the cause of Bahawalpur province which is not based on lingual, religious or ethnic divide. We are also appreciative of all those, including the media, who have supportive of our cause. We are also not opposed to creation of a province based on Multan and DG Khan divisions.” He said insertion of Bahawalpur into Seraiki province against the wishes and aspirations of the people would only be an autocratic attempt and not a democratic step.
