The chequered history of Pakistan reveals that the greatest development, including mega-dams of Tarbela and Mangla happened during Ayub Khan’s time when the West Pakistan operated as one entity in the form of one unit. This had resulted in the dissolution of provinces; hence provincialism was banned and their names disappeared. Ever since the provinces were reformed by late Yahya Khan, there has been no end to bickering between provinces leading to disagreements on such vital projects like Kalabagh dam.
I remember during one-unit days government officers could be sent to any post of one unit without any prejudice of local populations as division and region based on names of cities had been created instead of language and ethnicity-based provinces.
What is required is to revert back to one unit scheme wherein we would not require an army of ministers and governors as also chief ministers. So much so that in Balochistan all the MPAs at present are either ministers or hold equal rank as advisers.
This poor nation needs integration to follow the first motto of unity in the saying of late Quaid-e-Azam’s “unity, faith and discipline”.
DR MUHAMMAD YAQOOB BHATTI
Lahore
