ISLAMABAD, March 10: Chairman of the Pakhtoonkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) Mahmood Khan Achakzai has proposed over 60 amendments to the constitution and called for dividing the country into six provinces — Balochistan, Punjab, Sindh, Pakhtoonkhwa, Southern Pakhtoonkhwa and Siraikistan.

The demand of six provinces has been raised by Mr Achakzai, a member of the parliamentary sub-committee on inter-provincial harmony, in his recommendations submitted to the committee’s chairman Wasim Sajjad in the form of a booklet titled “Memorandum”. The committee is expected to finalize its recommendations in a couple of days.

Another parliamentary sub-committee on Balochistan issue under Senator Mushahid Hussain has already submitted its recommendations to the Pakistan Muslim League (PML) president Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, who is the chairman of the main committee.

Explaining the proposal of six provinces, the PKMAP chief in his recommendations states that Pakistan is composed of Pashtoon, Baloch, Sindhi, Seraiki and Punjabi, each nationality having its own motherland. He also calls for reviving the Chief Commissioner’s Pakhtoon Province (Southern Pakhtoonkhwa) which, he says, was merged “forcefully” in the one- unit imposed in 1955.

The Memorandum, a copy of which is available to Dawn, says, “Provisionally a constitutional, conventional and customary arrangement is to be made so that the political, economic, financial and administrative powers of the present Balochistan province are shared amongst the Pakhtoons and Balochs on the basis of the equality of nationalities.”

It further says tribal areas and seven Pakhtoon agencies “having present constitutional status shall have an elected national jirga with an elected executive on the basis of adult franchise, fundamental rights and other democratic principles.”

Through an amendment to Article 51, it proposes that “the National Assembly shall consist of 260 members to be elected under the system of joint electorate by direct and free vote in accordance with law. Out of 260 total seats, it says, 65 should be reserved for women. Moreover, it recommends that prime minister should be a person who enjoys the support of the majority in both the National Assembly and the Senate.

The PKMAP chief suggests that Balochistan Assembly should comprise 50 seats, Pakhtoonkhwa (96 seats), Punjab (286 seats) and Sindh (125 seats). He does not suggest the number of seats for the new provinces of Southern Pakhtoonkhwa and Siraikistan. He suggests that 25 per cent seats in the provincial assemblies should be allocated for women.

The PKMAP has also included an amendment to Article 101 making it binding on the governor to seek a vote of confidence from the provincial assembly and the members of the National Assembly and the Senate from that province after his appointment by the president. Through amendment to Article 104, the party says that speaker of the provincial assembly should act as the acting governor in the absence of governor.

The PKMAP chief recommends that Article 89 and Article 128 under which president and governors have powers to promulgate ordinances should be omitted.

Mr Achakzai states that “Kalabagh dam plan should be withdrawn at once and forever, as it is fatally injurious to Pakhtoons particularly.”

The Memorandum says that “armed forces, intelligence agencies and all other armed and civil services shall have no political power and role whatsoever” in the constitution. “The federation of Pakistan shall have legislative, executive and administrative powers on the four subjects — defence, foreign affairs, currency and communication. All other subjects and matters and the concurrent legislative list of Article 70(4) of the constitution of 1973 (as existing on October 12, 1999) shall rest with the provinces,” it says.