ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Muslim League-N chief Nawaz Sharif constituted on Monday a 15-member party committee to formulate suggestions relating to demand for new provinces.

The committee headed by Senator Raja Zafarul Haq and comprising senior members and legislators from all the provinces was set up by Mr Sharif at a meeting of the PML-N parliamentary group.

Its members are Makhdoom Javed Hashmi, Iqbal Zafar Jhagra, Zulfiqar Khosa, Sardar Mehtab Ahmad Khan, Ishaq Dar, Ahsan Iqbal, Mamnoon Hussain, Yaqoob Khan Nasir, Abdul Qadir Baloch, Salahuddin Tirimzi, Tehmina Daultana, Arshad Khan Leghari and Chaudhry Jaffar Iqbal.A spokesman said the committee had been asked to formulate suggestions on the demand for new provinces keeping in view the interest of the people and the federation and on the basis of Mr Sharif’s speech after his ‘election’ as PML-N president at the party’s central general council meeting held on July 27.

Giving up his party’s traditional resistance to the demands, Mr Sharif had said the PML-N was not against new provinces but wanted them to be created on administrative grounds.

Apparently realising that his party could face isolation on the issue after President Asif Ali Zardari’s announcement that carving out new provinces would be part of PPP’s election manifesto for the next election and keeping in view growing support for the demand, he had said that he was personally in favour of creating new provinces when and wherever necessary.

He, however, warned that creation of new provinces on linguistic or racial basis would damage the country’s security and integrity.

The parliamentary group adopted a resolution “reiterating its commitment to independence of judiciary” and demanding that “the judgments of the superior courts should be implemented in letter and spirit in order to uphold the rule of law”.

“Obstruction to justice in any form or manifestation by the executive authority violates the rule of law and is grossly condemnable,” it said.

“It is the duty of all parliamentarians and functionaries of the state to stand up against any violation of the Constitution and the law and to any obstruction of justice, as they have taken oath to protect, preserve and defend the Constitution.”

The party expressed “its deep concern over the government’s efforts to abuse its numerical majority in parliament to curb implementation of justice which is tantamount to misuse of parliament as a shield to protect the corrupt from due process of law”.

Talking to reporters, Mr Sharif announced that the party would move a resolution in the National Assembly to express solidarity with the judiciary. He vowed to defend the judiciary in every possible manner and at every level.

He said the country was heading towards catastrophe because of alleged corruption of the rulers and said the PML-N would play its due role in defending the country.

In order to curb corruption, he said, the PML-N would go to the extent to which it had gone during the movement for restoration of the judiciary.

According to a press release, the members termed the continued target killings in Karachi and Quetta a result of “criminal negligence” on the part of the federal government.