Law Minister Farooq Naik on Tuesday informed members of the commission on new provinces in the Punjab that the Punjab Assembly would still hold sway over the fate of the recommendations of the commission, even if the same are passed by both Houses of parliament – dropping a hint that the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) would still be in a position to dictate terms to the commission as it enjoyed a comfortable majority in the Punjab Assembly, Pakistan Today has learnt reliably.
The startling revelation may turn tables on the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) strategists who had decided to keep building pressure on the PML-N leadership by holding another session of the commission following the breakdown of talks last week between negotiating teams of the PPP and PML-N.
A source, who attended the commission’s in-camera meeting, told Pakistan Today said the law minister briefed the members of the commission on legal implications of the recommendations of the commission. “The law minister said the government would prepare a piece of legislation for creation of new provinces in line with the recommendations of the commission. The bill would be passed by both Houses of parliament and later the same would have to be passed by the Punjab Assembly,” the source said.
He said Naik also briefed the commission on the legal aspects of the creation of new provinces in Punjab, besides detailing the mechanism and procedures to be adopted for bringing constitutional amendment for new provinces.
The commission met at the Parliament House with Senator Farhatullah Babar in the chair. Babar later told reporters that the law minister briefed the commission members about the legal procedures for creation of new provinces. Asked whether or not the commission’s time-line of one-month remained the same, Babar said the commission might seek extension in its deadline if necessary. To a question on PML-N’s boycott, Babar said the commission would keep working despite the boycott. Apart from Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) members, members of the commission from the Awami National Party (ANP) and Muttahida Qaumi Movement also attended the session.
The PML-N continued its boycott for the third consecutive session.
Those present included Syeda Sughra Imam, Haji Mohammad Adeel, Kamil Ali Agha, Maulana Abul Ghafoor Haideri, Arif Aziz Shiekh, Jamshaid Ahmed Dasti, Syed Abdul Qadir Gilani and Dr Farooq Sattar. Abdul Qadir Gilani has recently replaced his younger brother Ali Musa Gilani.
Since the mid-1980s, the PML-N has repeatedly ruled Punjab, interspersed by the dictatorial regimes and hence it is equally responsible for the sense of neglect and deprivation among the people of Southern Punjab and eventually, the demand for a separate province. The genuineness of the demand for a separate province in South Punjab is beyond any reproach in view of the ground realities. The architects of the constitution showed unparalleled vision by incorporating a provision in the constitution to deal with such eventualities. Trying to sabotage a genuine demand of the people of the area to safeguard narrow political interests of the party is unbecoming of a party that enjoys a national stature and claims to represent the interests of the entire country.
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