South Punjab province

Editorial Published November 30, 2018

FOR decades, there has been talk, but now the timing appears right to move towards the creation of a South Punjab province. The Executive Council on Creation of South Punjab has had its second round of meetings this week. Nothing really stands in the way of the PTI to fulfil its promise of establishing a fifth province. Other than PML-N’s disagreement over whether there should be two instead of one province, there is largely consensus among the major political parties on the need for a new province along ethnic and linguistic lines. If implemented, the province would have three administrative divisions — Multan, Bahawalpur and Dera Ghazi Khan — and 11 districts: Multan, Khanewal, Lodhran, Vehari, Dera Ghazi Khan, Muzaffargarh, Layyah, Rajanpur, Bahawalpur, Rahim Yar Khan and Bahawalnagar. Administratively, the creation of a new province in Punjab can lead to more organised and efficient governance. Before Independence, Punjab had been governed by two administrative centres — Lahore and Multan — while Bahawalpur remained an independent princely state. But the Seraiki-speaking belt now constitutes one of the most neglected and poverty-stricken parts of the country. The region also has one of the highest rates of violence against women, as well as deplorable infant and maternal mortality statistics. In the absence of progressive governance, health and education have suffered and lagged behind the rest of Punjab.

Since the 1970s, Seraiki-speaking nationalists have been pointing out cultural and historical differences between south Punjab and north and central Punjab. Their arguments do not stem from a xenophobic vision or an imagined sense of persecution, but are based on the right to political representation. The creation of a South Punjab province would lead to separate, and hopefully equitable, distribution of funding from the centre. A population of over 200m people spread across four provinces does not make sense administratively. If successful, the creation of the new province could be an achievement this government can boast about during the next election season.

Published in Dawn, November 30th, 2018

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ahsan

Nov 30, 2018 09:06am

what about Bhakkar and Mianawali also in siraiki belt

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Pro Democracy

Nov 30, 2018 10:12am

If creation of provinces is on bases of language then why not create new province in Sindh constituting Hyderabad and Karachi and new Hazara province in KP. Same rule should apply everywhere

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Shalone

Nov 30, 2018 11:49am

I agree a fifth province is need of the day. One other advantage will be that Punjab will not be too big to dictate its terms with smaller provinces. PPP government also tried but failed. I hope this government succeeds.

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Hasan

Nov 30, 2018 12:10pm

Forget four or five provinces, Pakistan desperately needs to be reorganised into dozens of smaller administrative units. Not only would that allow for more efficient allocation of central resources, it would also provide a platform to the more neglected parts of the country - particularly in Balochistan and GB, the latter of which still doesn't even have any kind of adequate representation within the NA. Hasan

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Sureh Badshah

Nov 30, 2018 12:49pm

government should take initiative to unify the whole seraiki belt into one province including the Districts of KPK. Historically this was there nation and we should give it to them..

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Javaid Khan

Nov 30, 2018 02:05pm

What about Karachi? All the differentiating factors listed as reasons for South Punjab to be a separate entity from the Punjab, are 10 times more applicable for Karachi to be separate from feudal Sindh.

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Shahidam

Nov 30, 2018 03:55pm

'need for a new province along ethnic and linguistic lines'. Is there any bigger or clearer 'ethnic and linguistic divide' anywhere else than Southern Sindh. The demand of new province is also not new there either. This myopic yardstick based on ethnicity and linguistics is a dangerous one. Yes Punjab is much bigger than other provinces in terms of population. There can and should be a better mechanism other than ethnicity and linguistics. Deep down this slogan and it's basis is not based on sincerity but only on dirty politics. Were not the same long lines of families from 'Southern Punjab' in almost every government? Starting from North to South and Easy to West, gradual transition of linguistics among locals has always existed except for the immigrants of 1947. The point is, be careful what you do now and how you bring about a 'balance'. Precedence of division on 'ethnicity and linguistics' will surely prove disastrous in the long run. Come up with a better administrative solution.

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Syed Hafeez Imran

Dec 01, 2018 02:55am

@Pro Democracy , it should NOT be on basis of language, but of equitable representation and funding. A country of over 200 Million with ONLY 4 provinces is unwieldy from so many angles, Administrative, devolution, people contact, funding. Inequality, unfair treatment, domination of large province over the smaller ones allocation of resources and development It also exacerbates secretariat discord Look at other countries and the number of provinces or units they have. Switzerland, India Nigeria, Canada USA and a host of others

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AsadWarraich

Dec 01, 2018 05:21pm

Creation of a new province in Punjab is the need of the hour. But it is also important to form new provinces in KPK, Sindh and Balochistan. MQM and other political entities have demanded a separate province for the people of Hyderabad and Karachi. Voices to form separate province in Hazara have also been raised in the past. Balochistan, though a less density province, is so big that Balochis belonging to farther areas of Gawadar and other districts find difficulties in visiting the Quetta, for court related cases and other problems, which is hundreds of kilometers away from their districts.

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