QUETTA, Aug 11: The Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) has called upon the federal government to make new provinces in the country on the basis of language, culture, history and geography of the area concerned. In a statement on Thursday, the PMAP said it had been demanding since long for the formation of a `Southern Pakhtunkhwa’ province comprising Pakhtun areas of Balochistan.

The statement said that in 1955 the former Chief Commissioner Province was made part of one unit but when one unit was dissolved in 1970 the Chief Commissionerate Province was not restored to its original status and instead merged withBalochistan, depriving Pakhtuns of their fundamental rights.

The PkMAP said that Chief Commissionerate Province comprising Pakhtun areas was merged with Balochistan without seeking consent of Pakhtun people.

The PkMAP welcomed a statement by Senator Afrasiab Khattak, president of the Awami National Party Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chapter, endorsing the call for the Southern Pakhtunkhwa province.