New province?

Easier said than done

Punjab was divided for the first time in 1901, leading to the creation of what came to be called NWFP. Come independence, the province was again partitioned into East Punjab and West Punjab. A few years later, East Punjab was further bifurcated by the Indian government into three separate states of Punjab, Haryana and Himachal. The divisions left the bleary-eyed proponents of the Bigger Punjab heart-broken but in the long run the cartographic changes turned out to be helpful in resolving major administrative and ethnic difficulties. In case the carving out of a Seraiki province helps in redressing grievances of the sort, few should have any objection to its creation. What worries one however is the lack of the necessary preparation on the part of the federal government which has reportedly decided to present the ‘gift’ to the people of South Punjab on August 14 in an act of political one-upmanship.

As the former princely state of Bahawalpur became a part of Punjab only after the dissolution of One Unit in 1971, voices continue to be raised for a separate Bahawalpur Province. The Seraiki nationalists on the other hand consider the three districts of the Bahawalpur Division an integral part of the Seraiki province. There are no prominent geographical features dividing Seraiki and Punjabi speaking populations which intermingle in a number of districts. This is likely to give rise to rival claims. Similarly, Dera Ismail Khan (which is a part of KP) is claimed by the Seraiki nationalists on the basis of the district being dominated by non-Pakhtun Seraiki speakers. There is a need to sort out these and a number of other issues before making the announcement.

The creation of new provinces can be helpful in removing administrative hurdles. But done in haste and without proper consideration the exercise can turn into a can of worms. The PML(Q) is keen to create a Hazara province before the elections. During the debate on Presidential Address in NA in April, PML(N)’s mercurial Javed Hashmi proposed to split the country into 16 provinces “for good administration.” On Tuesday, he proposed splitting Punjab into four provinces. Talk of the kind could send alarm bells ringing not only in Sindh and Balochistan but also in Punjab and KP. The PPP government needs to look before it leaps.