LAHORE: The Executive Council on Creation of South Punjab province at its maiden meeting agreed on first establishing a South Punjab Secretariat under an additional chief secretary either in Multan or Bahawalpur as creating a new province is not easy under the Constitution.
However, a final decision would be taken by Prime Minister Imran Khan at a meeting of the council, constituted by Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar, on Monday, official sources said.
A similar plan of establishing a South Punjab mini-secretariat was made by former chief minister Shahbaz Sharif when it was accused of ignoring South Punjab and spending a lion’s share of the development budget only in Lahore. Mr Sharif did not implement the scheme.
Insiders said on Saturday the council which met in Lahore on Friday after its creation agreed that a forward administrative set-up should first be introduced in South Punjab. For that purpose the government would notify the post of an additional chief secretary who would head the set-up, and under him special secretaries of important departments having direct link with people.
They said the secretariat would be established either in Bahawalpur or Multan but a final decision would be taken by the prime minister.
The previous Shahbaz Sharif’s Punjab government had decided in principle to set up a South Punjab Secretariat in Multan, reportedly selecting office of the deputy commissioner of the district for the purpose. This secretariat was designed under an additional chief secretary, having special secretaries of various departments under him.
“Shahbaz Sharif had just made the plan but we are going to implement it to facilitate people of South Punjab. They would be saved from visiting Lahore to have their minor issues redressed. The new secretariat would help them get their problems resolved at their doorsteps,” a member of the council told Dawn.
He further clarified that the idea of the South Punjab secretariat was discussed at the first meeting of the council which would discuss all legal and constitutional aspects of the creation of South Punjab province in its subsequent meetings.
The creation of the South Punjab province had been the election slogan of the PTI because it would accuse the PML-N government of totally ignoring South Punjab and using all funds in Lahore.
Insiders agreed that creating a new province required amendment to the Constitution with a two-thirds majority vote in parliament and approval of the related province again with a two-thirds majority vote of the house. And the PTI lacks such majority at the moment.
“The council is yet to discuss all these constitutional and legal issues,” an official said.
The council is headed by Chaudhry Tahir Bashir Cheema and comprises Punjab Assembly Deputy Speaker Sardar Dost Muhammad Khan Mazari, Food Minister Samiullah Chaudhry, MPAs Sahibzada Gazain Abbasi, Syed Ali Abbas Shah, Sardar Shahabuddin Khan Sehar, Sardar Javed Akhtar Khan Lund, Nawabzada Mansoor Ahmad Khan, former MNA Dr Mian Ehsan Leghari, agriculturist Sardar Ali Raza Dareshak and former civil servants Anwar A Khan, Javed Iqbal Awan and Athar Hussain Khan.
According to the notification, the council shall work on behalf of the chief minister. But it has no deadline to meet.
Published in Dawn, October 28th, 2018
Download the new Dawn mobile app here:
Dear visitor, the comments section is undergoing an overhaul and will return soon.