DADU, Jan 17: The president, Pakistan Oppressed Nations Movement (Ponam), Mehmood Khan Achakzai, has said that a new constitution should be formulated to give equal rights to the small provinces and the Seraiki belt.

While speaking at the public gatherings in Dadu, Bhan Saeedabad, and Sehwan on Wednesday evening, he said that the constitution of 1973 was dead for the small provinces therefore a new constitution should be formulated through the elected assemblies according to the 1940 resolution.

He warned if the federal government would not give the rights on equal basis to the small provinces they would not live under the flag of the Pakistan.

Mr Achakzai said that the military officials of Punjab had been ruling the country directly or through their supporters of the two big political parties, PPP and PML. Punjab had taken over the natural resources including gas, mines and power houses of Sindh, NWFP, Balochistan and the Seraiki belt, he added.

The secretary general of Ponam, Syed Jalal Mehmood Shah, said that the people had voted for PPP and PML which had failed to provide basic facilities to the poor people of the small provinces.

He alleged that the former prime ministers, Benazir Bhutto, and Nawaz Sharif, and others had received millions as commission from the funds of development works and had shifted the money to foreign countries.

He said that both the former prime ministers had not facilitated the lower and middle class people.

Former chief minister of Balochistan, Akhtar Mengal, said that Baloch people would resist the Punjabi establishment from the platform of Ponam, if equal rights were not awarded to Balochistan, Sindh, Seraiki belt and NWFP.

KIDNAPPED: A woman was kidnapped by three armed men over some matrimonial dispute in Sehwan on Wednesday.