The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has rejected the commission formed by the federal government for formation of new provinces in Punjab and declared it a “drama”
The PML-N lambasting came during the Senate session on Tuesday that began under the leadership of Senate Chairman Nayyar Bukhari. The key issue of debate in the session remained the formation of new provinces in Punjab, with the PML-N senators expressing their reservations over the issue during point of orders. PML-N Senator Chaudhry Jaffar Iqbal said on a point of order that the Punjab Assembly passed unanimous resolution for restoration of Bahawalpur province and formation of Southern Punjab province and his party would only accept a report that was prepared in accordance with the Punjab Assembly’s resolution.
“After a year’s delay since the passage of the unanimous resolution by the Punjab Assembly, the federal government intends to open a Pandora’s Box by rendering slogan of making Southern Punjab province,” Iqbal said. Senate Opposition leader Ishaq Dar said they rejected the commission on formation of new provinces and claimed that the “drama” of new provinces’ creation would flop miserably. “The chairman has already admitted that the government does not have required majority needed for creation of a new province,” reminded Dar. He said the country was facing severe challenges but the issue of new province was being raised just to play politics.
Dar said his party rejected the commission as neither he nor the opposition leader in the National Assembly was consulted for the creation of new province.
“This issue has been debated in the last few months just to do politics. It will be better to leave petty issues and discuss serious problems being faced by the country,” he added.
In his address, PPP senator and chairman of the commission on new provinces Farhatullah Babar said if one state was restored as a province, other states would also demand the same. Babar alleged that the Punjab Assembly kept blocking resolutions on new provinces for three years.
He said the introduction of bill for creation of Bahawalpur-South Punjab province in parliament would be an expression of political intent that the PPP was serious in solving problems of people.
“Regardless of what happens with the bill; it is a demonstration of political will to address people’s grievances,” he said while responding to the points of orders.
He said the report on creation of new province had been prepared and several things would become clear when it was made public.
Babar said the government was not using the creation of new province as ‘political stunt’, adding that the PML-N was asked to become part of the commission but it avoided to do that.
“The formation of the commission was a serious business. Let’s not try to trivialize it,” he said.
He said that the commission discussed in detail the two resolutions of Punjab Assembly of May 9, 2012, adding that one resolution was about the restoration of Bahawalpur province, while the other was about the South Punjab province.
He was of the view that as Bahawalpur never remained a province in the past, the use of words “restoration of Bahawalpur province” in the Punjab Assembly resolution was irrelevant. “We sought suggestions from the experts besides going through over 2000 letters, but nobody could prove that Bahawalpur remained a province in the past,” he added.
Babar said he knew the government did not have two-thirds majority in the parliament or in the provincial assembly of Punjab to pass the bill, but it would become clear that a serious political intent was made to create the new province.
“The road for new province is tortuous and long but we know the destination is correct. It is the job of this House to lead towards the destination,” he added.