SAHIWAL: Sahiwal division was never a part of south Punjab in the past and would never be so in future.

“Upgrading south Punjab to a level of separate province is part of the PTI agenda and it will be fullfilled in near future. This is part of Prime Minister Imran Khan’s vision to decentralise power to the lowest level of governance. Making south Punjab a separate province means addressing the grievances of a large number of people at their doorsteps,” says Punjab Information Minister Pir Samsam Shah Bokhari.

He was speaking to delegations at Circuit House here on Thursday. This is Samsam’s first official visit to the divisional headquarters after winning the by-election from Chichawatni.

Answering a question about ‘omitting’ Sahiwal division for the high court bench from a proposed bill submitted to the Senate Standing Committee on Law and Justice, Mr Bokhari said Sahiwal division has a population of around seven million and it’s the right demand that there should be a high court bench.

It will consist of DG Khan, Multan and Bahawalpur divisions

“I will try my best to convince the federal government to make changes to the proposed draft for making more divisional high court benches in Punjab,” he promised.

Replying to a question of a lawyers’ delegation, the minister said the south Punjab province would consist of three divisions – Dera Ghazi Khan, Multan and Bahawalpur. He dispelled the impression that Sahiwal division would be included in south Punjab.

“This division considers itself close to Lahore because of its business and political affiliations,” he said.

The government, he said, was aware of the problems of the man in the street.

“I assure you that the PTI government will utilise all possible resources to provide relief to the common man,” he said.

The minister said the district government had conducted many operations to get rid of encroachments and the efforts would continue after Eid.

Published in Dawn, May 24th, 2019