The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) and Janoobi Punjab Suba Mahaz (JPSM) have reached an agreement that will see the latter merge with the former, DawnNewsTV reported on Tuesday citing PTI spokesperson Fawad Chaudhry.

"The negotiations between PTI and JPSM have concluded," Chaudhry said, adding that an official confirmation of the agreement is scheduled to be made in a joint press conference tomorrow.

The JPSM group, which comprises more than 15 former elected representatives of the PML-N, is expected to make its merger official after meeting PTI Chairman Imran Khan on Wednesday.

"The rest of the details will be disclosed tomorrow in Islamabad," Chaudhry added.

The JPSM is a movement of like-minded politicians, mostly from the ruling PML-N, who demand the creation of a new province in south Punjab.

Early last month, Khusro Bakhtiar, a former PML-N leader from south Punjab, had held a press conference flanked by like-minded lawmakers to demand a new province "for the security of the future of the children of south Punjab".

During his press conference, Bakhtiar had explained: "New provincial demarcations are the need of the time. We are not here to start a rift — time has made the need for new provinces very apparent."

"The demarcation of new provinces will ensure that funds allocated for Rajanpur are not given to Multan," he continued. "All we want is equality amongst the regions."

"We have a single point agenda: the creation of a new province in south Punjab," Bakhtiar had said.

Speaking of the movement's future alliances, Bakhtiar had said, "We are ready for dialogue with any party."

"Our goal is simple: when the new assemblies take oath, the legislation for a new province should be passed within the first session. If that does not happen, we will go to the Supreme Court," he had stated to cries of assent.

Later, the PTI had backed the JPSM's demand for a separate province, "not for linguistic reasons but on administrative grounds to mitigate the miseries and sense of deprivation being faced by some 35 million people living in Bahawalpur, Multan and Dera Ghazi Khan divisions”.

Opinion

Editorial

X post facto
Updated 19 Apr, 2024

X post facto

Our decision-makers should realise the harm they are causing.
Insufficient inquiry
19 Apr, 2024

Insufficient inquiry

UNLESS the state is honest about the mistakes its functionaries have made, we will be doomed to repeat our follies....
Melting glaciers
19 Apr, 2024

Melting glaciers

AFTER several rain-related deaths in KP in recent days, the Provincial Disaster Management Authority has sprung into...
IMF’s projections
Updated 18 Apr, 2024

IMF’s projections

The problems are well-known and the country is aware of what is needed to stabilise the economy; the challenge is follow-through and implementation.
Hepatitis crisis
18 Apr, 2024

Hepatitis crisis

THE sheer scale of the crisis is staggering. A new WHO report flags Pakistan as the country with the highest number...
Never-ending suffering
18 Apr, 2024

Never-ending suffering

OVER the weekend, the world witnessed an intense spectacle when Iran launched its drone-and-missile barrage against...