31 December 2004	Friday	18 Ziqa'ad 1425

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MULTAN, Dec 30: The Muttahida Qaumi Movement will make part of its manifesto the demand for creation of a new province comprising Seraiki speaking areas.

This was announced by MQM chief Altaf Hussain while delivering a telephonic address to a gathering of lawyers, doctors, engineers and intellectuals belonging to the Seraiki belt of Punjab on Thursday evening at the Muzaffargarh district council hall.

The MQM chief said the division of the big province would be a right step in terms of better administration as well. "It is an accepted phenomenon the world over to create new provinces for better distribution of resources," he added.

He said the NWFP should be named Pashtoonistan or Pakhtunistan because its present name was a continuation of the British legacy. He said 57 years of independence had made no difference to the life of common man in Pakistan.

He said the country could not progress until the unity of poor and middle classes of society to uproot feudal system. He called for a system of having uniform curricula for both haves and have-nots, access for all to better health facilities and an independent judiciary.

AMENDS CRITICIZED: Women councillors have criticized the amendments to the Local Government Ordinance saying the proposed changes will further marginalize the role of unprivileged classes of society at decision-making forums.

Speaking at a joint press conference on Thursday, office-bearers of the Women Councillors Network and Pattan organization alleged that the amendments were being made on the whims of the provincial government that was dominated by the traditional political elite.

They said the changes would jeopardize the purpose of decentralization to empower the otherwise pariah classes in the power structure of the country. They objected to reduction in the number of UC seats, saying this would slash the representation of women, peasants, labourers and minorities at the local level to almost half.

They said the amendments would cement the stronghold of influential classes as it would be easier for them to get elected their coattails after sidelining the common people.