ISLAMABAD – Apart from rhetoric and media statements for public consumption, none of the Pakistan Muslim League (PML) factions has yet taken any practical step for creation of new provinces. In recent past, though PML-Q, PML-F and PML Like-minded have been vociferously demanding creation of Saraiki Province, Hazara Province and restoration of Bahawalpur Province, but no serious effort was made by them to create any political consensus.
Background interviews and interactions with leaders of PML factions have revealed that they were reluctant to raise the demand of new provinces with sincerity and had played only to the galleries to gain political mileage. The reason for their lack of sincerity is that most of these leaders come from the central Punjab, which is considered to be the heart of ruling bureaucrats who oppose this idea. Being financially comfortable, the heavyweights of the central Punjab do not like to withdraw their hold over the resources of the country.
Presently, there are almost no chances for any mainstream political parties – PPP or the PML-N – to move for creation of new provinces as both are comfortable and believe in the status quo. However, the opposition parties are only trying to garner public support for which they have taken up this idea. As per the Constitution, the provincial assembly of the respective province has to pass a resolution with a two-thirds majority for creation of a new province and then the same resolution has to be passed by the Senate of Pakistan with simple majority.
The lukewarm campaign started by the PML factions actually not only failed those intellectuals and committed workers to the cause but also strengthened the impression that it was impossible for the people to get their demands met by the ruling elites. The sincerity of the political elite could be judged by a mere fact that MNA Marvi Memon, a PML-Q central leader, opposed the demand for new provinces.
“One controversial name for NWFP has led to the demand for more provinces or administrative units which Pakistan cannot afford. Except for Southern Punjab and provisional status for the GilgitBaltistan, this move is bound to open a Pandora’s Box which may end up in anarchy,” Marvi told Pakistan Today.
Senator Salim Saifullah Khan, President of PML Like-minded group, publicly extended full support to the idea of new provinces, especially to the demand of Hazara Province. However, despite his successive press conferences and public gatherings conducted against renaming NWFP as Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, he was smartly exposed by his own brother, Humayon Saifullah Khan, who voted in favour of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the National Assembly while Senator Gulshan Saeed of the Like-minded also voted for this clause it in the Senate.
Even Sardar Mehtab Abbasi, Capt (R) Safdar – both PML-N MNAs from Hazara Division – did not vote against the renaming of NWFP as Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and rather opted to abstain from the voting in the National Assembly. Nawaz Sharif also admonished a senior leaguer, Makhdoom Javed Hashmi, for extending support to the demand for Saraiki Province and the later was given a cold shoulder in the party meetings for being a rebel.
When contacted, Secretary Information of PML-Q Kamil Ali Agha defended his party’s role in calling for creation of new provinces. Agreeing to the notion that his party could not keep up with the required momentum to make the demand work, Agha said political developments had subsided the issue. “We have submitted a resolution with the Punjab Assembly for creation of Janoobi Punjab Province, however, the Punjab Assembly Speaker did not allow this resolution to be a part of the agenda,” he added.
Syed Hussain Jehania Gardezi, a former Food Minister of Punjab and a politician from Multan, confirmed to this scribe that Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi had chaired party meetings for formulating a strategy for creation of Southern Province. “Almost all political heavyweights from Southern Punjab – Legharis, Dareshaks, Makhdooms, Gardezis, etc attended the meeting. Even some settlers who enjoy support in Saraiki areas, also attended the meeting including Tariq Bashir Cheema, former Nazim of Bahawalpur,” he added.
