ISLAMABAD: Hours after the adoption on Thursday morning of a government-backed resolution in the National Assembly for creation of a ‘south Punjab’ province, the Pakistan Muslim League-N submitted its own resolution to the NA secretariat seeking establishment of four new provinces in the country.

PML-N sources told Dawn that the resolution, carrying signatures of all the 92 MNAs of the party, sought creation of new provinces of ‘south Punjab’, Bahawalpur, Hazara and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata).

“Recognising the aspirations of the people of south Punjab, the former state of Bahawalpur, Hazara and Fata, this house resolves that four new provinces should be created to further empower the people and facilitate administration and economic development of these areas,” it says.

Through the resolution, the PML-N wants the house to “call upon the federal government to immediately initiate steps for amendment to the Constitution” for creation of the new provinces “as required by Article 239 of the Constitution”.

The resolution was submitted in line with an announcement made by Leader of Opposition Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan while talking to reporters outside the Parliament House earlier in the day.

Chaudhry Nisar criticised the government’s move to table two resolutions -- one reposing confidence in Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani and the other for creation of south Punjab province -- during the opposition’s protest.

He termed the passage of the resolution on the new province an act of “political gimmickry” and said the new administrative units could not be created merely through resolutions. He said if provinces could be created through resolutions, his party would table a resolution on Friday for south Punjab, Bahawalpur, Hazara and Fata as new administrative units.

The government’s reaction to PML-N’s resolution would show its seriousness on the issue, he said.

He reiterated that the PML-N was not against creation of new provinces but the task should be completed through constitutional means after a national consensus.

Alleging that the government had introduced the resolution in violation of the rules, the PML-N leader held both the speaker and deputy speaker responsible for it.Chaudhry Nisar said the government had brought the resolution at a time when there was chaos in the house due to the opposition’s noisy protest only to make it a controversial matter.

“Why the government did not talk about new provinces at the time of the 18th and 20th Amendments?” he asked. He alleged that the rulers were raising the issue only to achieve political objectives in an effort to save their “sinking ship”.