ISLAMABAD: Just 10 days before the expiry of its term, the government managed on Wednesday to get the controversial bill seeking creation of a new province in Punjab through the Senate amid opposition’s boycott.

The PPP-led coalition government, which had earlier failed to put the 24th Constitution Amendment Bill seeking creation of Bahawalpur Janoobi Punjab province for vote in the Senate three times because of lack of numbers, finally managed to ensure the presence of required 70 senators in the 104-member upper house after hectic efforts made by PPP’s chief whip Islamuddin Shaikh and Leader of the House Jahangir Badar.

Independent Senator from south Punjab Mohsin Leghari, who had moved a number of amendments to the bill, also boycotted the proceedings when the chairman put his amendments for vote without giving him an opportunity to explain them.

The bill suggesting Bahawalpur as capital of the proposed province was supported by the Pakistan Muslim League-Q, Muttahida Qaumi Movement, Awami National Party and Balochistan National Party-Awami and some independent senators from Fata.

Senators belonging to the PML-N, PML-F and National Party walked out of the house when Chairman Nayyar Bokhari put the bill for clause-wise voting. Interestingly, members of Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-F, another opposition party which had supported the bill in the parliamentary commission and later in the house committee, stayed away from the whole proceedings.

According to the bill, the new province will comprise Multan, Bahawalpur and Dera Ghazi Khan divisions of south Punjab and Bhakkar and Mianwali districts of north Punjab. The proposed assembly will have 123 members and representation of 59 members in the 342-member National Assembly.

Taking part in a general debate on the bill, the opposition senators described the government’s move as a “political stunt” and an “electioneering exercise” and accused the PPP of bypassing the parliamentary process knowing that it did not have the required two-third majority in the National Assembly as well as the Punjab Assembly.

Terming it an “anti-Punjab and anti-Pakistan” bill, PML-N chairman Raja Zafarul Haq questioned the logic of making Bhakkar and Mianwali districts part of the new province.

Muzaffar Hussain Shah of the PML-F said the bill was a “public relations exercise” and would destroy the federal structure.

Leader of Opposition Ishaq Dar said the Punjab Assembly had already rejected the parliamentary commission which had drafted the controversial bill. He said neither he nor Leader of Opposition in the National Assembly Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan had been consulted by the NA Speaker before announcing the parliamentary commission.

PML-N’s Zafar Ali Shah warned the PPP against playing politics at the cost of country’s security.

PML-Q’s Mushahid Hussain, though voted in favour of the bill, said: “We should not open up a Pandora’s box of consequences which may go out of control.” He warned that tomorrow there could be a call for creation of Karachi province.

Winding up the debate as head of the parliamentary commission which had drafted the bill, Farhatullah Babar of the PPP said the bill demonstrated a “deliberate and a conscious political decision to address the grievances and deprivation among the people of south Punjab”. He rejected the opposition’s allegation that the PPP wanted to use the issue as an election stunt.

Earlier, the house also passed the Defence Housing Authority Bill 2013 and the Global Change Impact Studies Centre Bill 2013.

Soon after the question hour, MQM senator staged a token walkout over the continued violence in Karachi.