Almost all political parties except the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the PML-Quaid (PML-Q) have expressed complete support for the creation of a Saraiki province in southern Punjab.
The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) and Awami National Party (ANP) vowed to support the move but the PML-N still looks cautious, as its leadership feels that new provinces should be created on administrative basis and not along ethnic/linguistic lines. The PML-Q also feels that the people of southern Punjab need a new province not along linguistic lines but on the basis of just distribution of resources.
Talking to Pakistan Today, PPP leader and Law Minister Maula Bakhsh Chandio said his party fully supported the Saraiki province as it was a long-standing demand of the people of the area.
“This is a legitimate demand by the people of Saraiki areas and the party has started an internal consultation process. President Asif Ali Zardari has formed a sub-committee of the party’s manifesto committee to thrash out its recommendations on this issue, while the president and the prime minister are in contact with the party cadres on various levels over the issue and final decision will be announced once the manifesto committee makes its recommendations to the party leadership,” said the law minister.
Though on political issues the PML-N and PML-Q look poles apart, both parties have identical views on the demand for a Saraiki province. The largest opposition party, the PML-N, which holds a trump card vis-à-vis the Saraiki province as it governs Punjab, seems to be treating the idea with caution.
“Why should the nation be restricted to a Saraiki province? The PML-N leadership is looking beyond this and we have formed a committee that will provide its recommendations on the question. Any decisions will be taken by the top party leadership after the recommendations are made,” Chaudhry Abid Sher Ali, a PML-N lawmaker, told Pakistan Today.
BROADER PLAN: He said his party wanted to resolve the issue of new provinces once and for all and it would come up with a broader plan that would address the country’s future needs. “We support creation of new provinces but this should not be along linguistic or racial lines, rather new provinces should be made on an administrative basis. We want new provinces across the country,” he added.
Asked to clarify his proposal, he said Balochistan was the largest province of the country by area and should be divided further to have better administration and management. “We want to go further after completing our homework and we are against mere point-scoring or hollow sloganeering. Our party policy would be based on the committee’s report,” he added.
PML-Q Information Secretary Senator Kamil Ali Agha said his party wanted the creation of a separate province for the people of southern Punjab and its name should not be “Saraiki Province”, but “Janoobi Punjab” (Southern Punjab). “We are against the creation of a new province on linguistic or ethnic basis. Let me make it clear that we are not against the identity of Saraiki people, but we want a province on just distribution of resources and not on caste, creed, ethnic or lingual basis,” he told Pakistan Today. “We fully support Janoobi Punjab and Saraiki provinces on the same basis. Some people want to twist the rights movement along linguistic basis or on the basis of former states.
We don’t want ethnic riots or racial discrimination in the name of rights,” he said, adding that the Bahawalpur province movement was also aimed at getting more resources from the Punjab government. Asked whether the PPP leadership, a coalition partner of the PML-Q, had been conveyed the stance of his party, Agha said his party’s leadership was in consultation with PPP leaders and would convince their major coalition partner on the Janoobi Punjab province. Wasim Akhtar of the MQM said his party supported the idea of new provinces and smaller units should be formed on administrative grounds. He said his party supported the Saraiki province. “There are administrative and legitimate reasons behind this demand and this is why my party supports the idea. Moreover, the step-motherly treatment to the people of southern Punjab has worked as a catalyst for this demand over the years,” he added. JUI-F chief Fazlur Rehman said his party supported the idea of the creation of new provinces under the constitution of the country. However, he said his party had yet to decide on the specific demand of a Saraiki province. Senator Ismail Buledi of the JUI-F said more provinces should be formed across the country, with four new provinces in Punjab and two new provinces each in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Balochistan and Sindh. Senator Zahid Khan of the ANP said his party had created a fifth provincial unit, named Saraiki Province, back in 1986 on the demand of the people of the region and thus fully backed the idea.
“We have five provincial units in our party manifesto and even the unit of Saraiki Province casts votes in our elections and its office-bearers have also been named,” he added. Asked to comment on the demand for a Hazara province in KP, Zahid Khan said it would have to be analysed whether or not the idea was feasible and any province could be sustained having just two and a half districts. “We have no problem if the people want a Hazara province, but they would have to fight for their demand as we did for 180 years for KP,” he added.
Except ‘N’ and ‘Q’, all parties support Saraiki province
