PPP to re-launch drive for Punjab division

Zulqernain Tahir Published July 12, 2014

LAHORE: The Pakistan People’s Party has decided to revive the ‘dead issue’ of Punjab’s division.

PPP patron-in-chief Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has reportedly asked party’s provincial leadership, especially the legislators, to raise the issue as the PML-N government had committed to creating two more provinces in the south Punjab.

“We will raise the issue in the Punjab Assembly to press the PML-N government to fulfill its promise of creating the Bahawalpur and Janoobi Punjab provinces, PPP parliamentary leader in the Punjab Assembly Qazi Ahmed Saeed said.

Talking to Dawn, he said Mr Bilawal had also asked the PPP legislators to raise the voice for the people of the south Punjab. “The people of south are facing deprivation. They cannot come to Lahore for getting their issues resolved. We want courts, secretariat and other paraphernalia required for a province in the south Punjab,” said Mr Saeed who belongs to Rahim Yar Khan.

He said the PPP would remind the PML-N that it had promised to carve out two provinces in Punjab. “Now it seems to have backtracked after winning the election from there. By launching the Metro Bus project in Multan, the Punjab government thinks that it has done enough for the people of south Punjab. In the last budget the government had failed to fully utilize the development funds for the south,” he claimed. South Punjab PPP senior president Haider Zaman Qureshi said the PPP would raise the issue of two provinces in the south Punjab in the National Assembly and Senate as well.

“Once the massive rigging in the May 2013 election is exposed, the people will come to know that the PML-N had lost most of the seats in the south Punjab,” Mr Qureshi said.

“Even the PML-N legislators from the south Punjab are disappointed with their leadership in this regard. We will woo their support to press the PML-N to create new provinces,” he said.

Mr Qureshi said the people of the south Punjab needed hospitals, basic health units, clean water, industry and educational institutions and not Metro Bus like projects.

Senator Mohsin Leghari who has been vocal for the creation of a new province for the people of the south has submitted a constitutional amendment to the Senate.

“Most of the political parties, including PML-N, have committed to the creation of new provinces in their election manifestos of 2013. They should honour their commitments,” Mr Leghari said.

Published in Dawn, July 12th, 2014

Pakistan

Zulqernain Tahir is a political correspondent for Dawn with over 20 years of experience, currently covering political and governance issues with a focus on uncovering financial scams. He can be found on X at @zulqerr.

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Malveros

Jul 12, 2014 06:44am

Shame on PPP and Bilawal Bhutto. Poor governance in Sindh and Karachi. They should focus their efforts there. Punjab can take care of itself.

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wsyed

Jul 12, 2014 07:03am

I hope people of Punjab reject any stupid notion of further dividing the country; time to unite not divide. The feudals want to divide Punjab so that they can keep control by preventing development in their areas of influence. Also, some people would like to see a weak Punjab, now that their support is vanishing because of lack of any/or poor policies to improve situation in the country. Punjab be aware of dangerous and selfish motives of useless politicians.

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PML(N)

Jul 12, 2014 07:48am

First make a government in Punjab then say some thing

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khuma

Jul 12, 2014 08:31am

PPP is equally. Responsible to make the issue stale since the scenario of change. After the general elections 2013. To enable the majority of the masses to approach the powerful corridors the larger provinces should be devided in small units.

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Iqbal Khan

Jul 12, 2014 08:51am

Feudal mentality, how to get their share out of Punjab, shame on PPP. Then MQM is ready to ask for urban area as their province, are you ready for that?

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Lucky Star

Jul 12, 2014 09:36am

Here comes another divider with BA degree in history from UK. All he learnt in UK, divide and divide. Go, get a full time job! Divide Sindh into two provinces; one for Urdu speaking and one for the rest. Divide Baluchistan into two provinces; one for Baluchi speaking and one for pushto speaking. Divide KP into two provinces; one for hindko speaking and one for pushto speaking.

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Saiyed zaidi

Jul 12, 2014 09:55am

Trying to get rid of sharif brothers, here comes another hero from from Bhutto legacy stop it do something else leave pakistan alone ,if you have got money to prance around and make speeches without holding a regular job or a position shut up !!!!!

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Saiyed zaidi

Jul 12, 2014 10:08am

Go to your properties in Spain England ,France ,Switzerland and wherever your ancestors have robbed pakistan of its resources and have a good time and take Nawaz sharif with you ,we have nothing more to steal....leave us alone.

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M J Syed

Jul 12, 2014 10:22am

Divide you may, rule you will not. Nationally it will be a mistake.

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itsqahi

Jul 12, 2014 10:25am

PPP please leave this issue pmln is already enough to face. Let them focus on prosperity.

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M J Syed

Jul 12, 2014 10:40am

Divide any thing and everything, just give me power! Some of us were around at the time but echoes of that past experience can be heard by all of us. Please do not do this. Be patient, follow the legitimate process and you may get power.

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Zaheer

Jul 12, 2014 10:42am

@itsqahi . What is wrong with dividing provinces for better administrable small units. India did it.

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Khanm

Jul 12, 2014 10:58am

Just like ur grand father. For the sake of power he was responsible for the division of the country. I guess just for power and nothing else they divide the entire nation. Wonder when this nation will wake up.

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syed wasim haider

Jul 12, 2014 01:26pm

Please don't disturb them Mr. Bilawal; they are fasting.

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Fareed

Jul 12, 2014 03:05pm

When will the Pakistani masses ever say No to dynastic rule? BBZ is a kid. Let him remain one. Whoever thinks this yuppie can steer Pakistan out of its current mess lives in La La Land.

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Lucky Star

Jul 12, 2014 04:34pm

@Zaheer It will put pressure on the economy due to increased administrative costs in terms of provincial ministers and their corruptions but will not improve efficiency.

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Dajjal

Jul 12, 2014 05:55pm

The PPP has been a complete failure in Sindh, it has nothing to show for it... the entire province has been turned into a large garbage dump full of decay, disease and death and this clueless is worried about Punjab....

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Syed Husain

Jul 12, 2014 06:10pm

Absolutely an idiotic idea. He should be reminded to focus on the law and order situation in Sind and in Karachi.

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MAK

Jul 12, 2014 06:35pm

Young Zardari should tell us what did his father AAZ accomplish when he ruled the country for 5 years. Leaving aside rest of Pakistan, what did he do for Sindh.?

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Naeem Syed

Jul 12, 2014 06:39pm

Do what you like you ain't coming back. We don't like you, We don't need you, We don't want you. Just go away to Europe or where ever you people go to.You have no idea what an honest day's work is.

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Khalid

Jul 12, 2014 06:46pm

@Lucky Star I fully agree. He has never held a job in his young life. The question is who would give him a job?. What is his skills set?. A BA in history means nothing. There are engineers and doctors in Pakistan without jobs.

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Shuaib Bhat

Jul 12, 2014 08:04pm

First break up Sindh then talk about Punjab. Let us break up Sindh into Karachi and Interior Sindh and watch you cry like the little baby that you are.

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Mohammad Iqbal

Jul 12, 2014 08:34pm

Dont fall into wattoo trap. In order to keep his workshop going, he is shouting. Bilawal should have sacked him for his poor performance in 2013 elections. Bilawal should concentrate on his province Sindh and show something praiseworthy

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Farrukh Munir

Jul 13, 2014 12:54am

Of course everybody should remind the PML (N) leadership of their promises made before the general elactions. They made false promises everywhere to win votes and now they don't even remember themselves what they had promised to whom. Keeping politics aside, the issue of provinces is a sensitive one. Smaller administrative units are a "good idea" but unfortunately our leaders use this slogan to gain power and create more CMs and ministries for themselves. The benefit to the general public will be non existent. The local bodies system is the best one for smaller administrative system, where funds should be transferred directly to the district councils and people's issues can be resolved at local levels. Unfortunately, none of the parties in power in any of the provinces wants to hold local bodies elections.

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independentthinker

Jul 13, 2014 01:40am

Bilawal Zardari - do you have anything significant to show for, that you have achieved in the past few years? You are really not good at anything, let alone governing a province. You were born with a silver spoon in your mouth. Unfortunately, that silver spoon does not qualify you or entitle you to govern. You continue enjoying the luxuries bestowed upon you by your parents, at our expense and let someone with common sense decide how the provinces be divided or not! For the sake of Pakistan, stay out of politics.

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Idealist

Jul 13, 2014 02:55am

Turkey has 81 provinces with 957 districts with approx same area as Pakistan whereas Pakistan has 5 provinces if you include Gilgit Baltistan with only 105 districts, there should be more provinces atleast 10 from Punjab 6 from Sindhi , 5 from Bulochistan and 4 from KP. More provinces means better governance , better democractic representation and accountability and less feudal and autocratic rule

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Jul 13, 2014 07:24am

@Lucky Star Your comment is based on regionalism , its typical mindset of the province you live in. What you should have said is that division is not the solution for the woes of the country. Instead its a good governance. Yes what Bilawal suggested represents a typical feudal mindset.

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Safar Shah

Jul 13, 2014 08:39am

Yeah let's create small fiefdoms especially when it might benefit PPP politically. As most of their ticket holders are makhdooms and wadayras. Is this the best initiative PPP can come up with is to divide Punjab?

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Humdard

Jul 13, 2014 09:21am

If you are educated Pakistan then you should question why should you follow bilawal. I bet you are more intellegent then him , hamza and Maryam. It is time you should stand up and take a lead rather then giving such people leadership for doing nothing

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John Ali

Jul 13, 2014 10:00pm

@Malveros While I do not like PPP, at leas I can agree with Bilawal on this issue that Punjab needs to be split into smaller provinces. Right now only Lahore benefits primarily at provincial and at the central level while the other parts of Punjab including Seraikis and others get very little obtained in their names. Therefore, this will bring a lot of prosperity to the new smaller provinces once established when equal development and distribution begin to take place. So try to understand before faulting others' point of view.

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Ahsan

Jul 14, 2014 05:41am

I have read most of the comments I am quite shocked at the opposition to the idea of making further provinces of Punjab and may i add FATA needs to be made into a province. Switzerland is a country that has 26 provinces and Switzerland is a fraction of the size of Punjab (which a over statement). It is the call of the hour as you will not get a chief minister who won't just invest in one city instead of the whole province and making more provinces will also be very beneficial for the population in the neglected villages and cities of the provinces. People need to seek the logic behind the message instead of bashing the messenger, this coming from a person who is not a supporter of PPP.

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Raza

Jul 18, 2014 11:58am

The demand of provincial status for the region of Saraikistan is very legitimate and the state should not turn a deaf ear to it.

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