MULTAN, Dec 23: The chief of Muttahida Qaumi Movement, Altaf Hussain, has alleged that the federal government is re-enacting whatever transpired in East Pakistan during its last days. The situation is not much different in the Seraiki belt, where the Punjab government is depriving the people of their rights.

Addressing by telephone a big public meeting at the Divisional Sports Ground here on Friday, he expressed support for the demand for a Seraiki province and announced that members of his party would table resolutions in the Senate and National Assembly for a separate administrative unit for the people of the region.

He said new provinces should be set up in accordance with the wishes of the people to save the country.

The MQM chief said his party would not allow the Seraiki belt to be turned into another Balochistan. 'There is no engineering or agriculture university in the Seraiki belt because of the feudal system. We have to decide whether we should save Pakistan or feudalism,' he remarked.

Mr Hussain said a propaganda campaign had been launched against the MQM across the country, particularly in Punjab, to sabotage its anti-feudal efforts and prejudice the people againstit, but the party had entered the province nevertheless.

He said the people of the Seraiki region had been deprived of their basic rights and they faced injustice.

'Development projects are not launched in southern Punjab and minimum funds are allocated for this area in the provincial budget, forcing people to say 'Assan qaidi takht Lahore dey' (we are prisoners of Lahore's throne).' he said.

He said the MQM was the party that had included the creation of Seraiki province in its manifesto.

Mr Hussain urged his party's legislators to raise every issue of the Seraiki region in the assemblies. He said some elements were dividing the people of south Punjab on the issue of province.

'The people of southern Punjab should decide how many provinces they want. If you want a Seraiki province, the MQM is with you and if you want Bahawalpur, Multan and Seraiki provinces, our support is with you,' he announced.

He said the MQM also supported the demand for a Hazara province because it believed that people must have the right to rule. 'Afghanistan is a small country but it has more than 20 provinces, while the number of provinces in India has also increased since the partition,' he said.

The MQM chief said the 13 districts of south Punjab had only two universities,while there were 31 such institutions in the 23 other districts of Punjab.

'Similarly, there are only two medical colleges and two big hospitals in southern Punjab.

He demanded five more medical colleges and five universities in the Seraiki belt. He said medical facilities of the standard offered in Nishtar and Victoria hospitals should be set up in each district in the region.

He said that Vehari district alone produced more cotton than Sindh but no textile industry was set up in south Punjab.

He demanded that a textile industrial zone should be set up in Vehari and an agriculture university in Multan.

He said the government should build small dams to facilitate the farmers of the region.

The MQM chief said his party would distribute land among landless farmers after coming to power.

Welcoming a statement of Chief of Army Staff Ashfaq Parvez Kayani that the army had no intention to overthrow the government, he said he had suggested to President Asif Zardari that all issues facing the country should be resolved in coordination with the army.

He said some people were raising the slogan of revolution but only poor people could bring such a change.