Pakistan's New Provinces Issue

[Devil Soul]

ahawalpur province: ‘Makhdooms and Gilanis cannot decide our fate’
By Kashif Zafar
Published: January 23, 2013
BAHAWALPUR:
“We will not let any Gilani or Makhdoom determine the fate of Bahawalpur province,” Nawab Salahuddin Abbasi, leader of the Bahawalpur National Awami Party (BNAP), said on Tuesday. He was addressing a press conference at the house of party’s President Muhammad Farooq Azam Malik.
Abbasi said the BNAP had supported the PPP after late Benazir Bhutto promised to create a Bahawalpur province. He said now that the PPP had almost completed its tenure, it was backing out from the commitment. He said he had declined an offer to be made governor and change his stance.
The nawab said that Governor Makhdoom Ahmad Mehmood had made a two-and-a-half-month deal with the government and betrayed the people of Bahawalpur.
“We will not let them add Multan and Dera Ghazi Khan to the Bahawalpur province.”
The nawab said that the government could neither deceive the people of Bahawalpur nor force them to change their perspectives and compromise.

He said the BNAP will participate in the upcoming general elections.
He said the Sharif Brothers should live up to their commitment and play their role in the creation of the Bahawalpur province. He hoped that they would not betray the people as the PPP had.
The nawab claimed that before Mehmood, the PPP had offered him the Punjab governorship. But, he said, he had refused to make any deal that would require him to compromise the rights of the people of Bahawalpur.
He said his party’s demands were legitimate and that they would not stop until the Bahawalpur province was created. He said the party would also reject any changes made in the recommendations of the commission formed to creation new provinces.

The nawab announced that he will stand for two National Assembly seats from Bahawalpur and one from Rahim Yar Khan.
Former federal minister and BNAP President Muhammad Farooq Azam Malik said that the issue of creating the Bahawalpur province was completely different from the creation of other provinces.
“There is no problem with our boundaries and resources.
Mehmood’s father, Makhdoom Hassan Mahmood, had served as chief minister of Bahawalpur state before it was disbanded in 1956.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 23rd, 2013.

 

[batmannow]

That's the issue , which PPP will play next in punjab, to burst the bubble of PMLn & PTI as its opposition?
This NAWAB is just razing his voice to get higher price & that's it?lol
Bt PMLn will back him to get its share after , once this province happens on the papers at least!
That's a perfect ploy to beat QADRI & PTI in a one swing ?

 

[UmarJustice]

ISLAMABAD: The proposed Bahawalpur-South Punjab (BSP) province will have 124 and 59 seats for the provincial assembly and National Assembly, respectively.



Out of 59 National Assembly seats, 47 will be general seats and 12 reserved seats for women and minorities while out of the 124 provincial assembly seats, 101 will be general seats while 23 will be reserved sets for women and minorities.



Sources said that Bahawalpur, Multan and Dera Ghazi Khan divisions and Mianwali and Bhakkar districts will be part of the proposed new Bahawalpur-South Punjab province.



The Parliamentary Commission on the creation of a new province in Punjab finalised its recommendations for creating a Bahawalpur-South Punjab (BSP) province and after giving final touches to the report on Monday (Jan 28), it would be presented in the current session of the National Assembly.



The meeting of the Parliamentary Commission was held on Saturday with its Chairman Senator Farhatullah Babar in the chair at the Parliament House in which the members signed the draft recommendations that would be presented in the current session of the National Assembly for consideration after giving final shape to the recommendations on Monday.



However, the PML-N continued its boycott of the proceedings of the Parliamentary Commission.



According to sources, the commission has yet not decided on the capital of Bahawalpur-South Punjab as it was being considered that the chief minister secretariat and provincial assembly will be in Multan while the Governor House and High Court of the proposed province would be in Bahawalpur.



However, sources in the commission said it was decided that Bahawalpur would be the capital city of the proposed new province.



Sources said though the proposal came for twin capitals (Multan and Bahawalpur) but after a detailed discussion it was decided that Bahawalpur would be the capital of the new proposed province.



Sources said the draft bill suggested amendments in articles 1, 51, 58, 59, 106, 175 and 218 of the Constitution.



According to sources, to settle the issue of distribution of finance, it was proposed that Punjab would distribute its share of NFC among its divisions on the basis of population till the next NFC.



Later, talking to newsmen after the conclusion of the closed door session of the commission, Chairman of the Parliamentary Commission Senator Farhatullah Babar said that consultation regarding the constitutional bill for the establishment of a new province has been finalised.



However, he restricted himself from giving the final date for presentation of the committee report to the National Assembly saying, “This is a positive development and the nation will hear good news in this regard.”



PPP legislator Jamshed Dasti, member of the commission, said the members have signed the bill. ‘We have made a commitment to the people of South Punjab and we have fulfilled this commitment,” he added.



In reply to a question, he said the province will have one capital, not two.



INP adds: The controversial 14-member parliamentary commission had been constituted in August last year by the Speaker of the National Assembly and comprises Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Senators Farhatullah Babar and Syeda Sughra Imam, Awami National Party (ANP) Senator Haji Mohammad Adeel, Pakistan Muslim League-Q (PML-Q) Senator Kamil Ali Agha and PML-N Senator Malik Muhammad Rafique Rajwana, JUI-F Senator Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haidri, PPP MNAs Arif Aziz Sheikh, Jamshed Ahmed Dasti, Syed Ali Musa Gilani, PML-N MNAs Tehmina Daultana and Chaudhry Saud Majeed, as well as the MQM’s Dr Farooq Sattar.



APP adds: Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) Chief Altaf Hussain said that the southern Punjab province and the Bahawalpur province should be created before the next general elections as the demand for the provinces reflected the aspirations of millions of people.



This he said while talking to the members of the Co-ordination Committee at the Khursheed Begum Secretariat by telephone, a statement issued by his party on Saturday stated.



He said that the demand for creating new provinces in Southern Punjab and Bahawalpur was the basic right of the people. He assured the people of southern Punjab and Bahawalpur that the MQM would extend full support to them for their legitimate rights.

New province to have 124 PA,59 NA seats - thenews.com.pk

 

[Leader]

seriously let the matter be put for the next government ???

 

[Amaa'n]

124 + 59 more waderas to do corruption........geya democrasy,

 

[Amaa'n]

If you want to bloody create provinces then create 3 provinces out of balochistan you goons

 

[imrankhan7250]

in my humble opinion, making province should be formula based, ie. our decision makers should decide on what basis a new province should emerge in Pakistan. The formula can address some of the following issues, population, revenue, administration, etc.
And believe me that if we make new province, Pakistan will have Kalabagh and any other dam we want plus we may have more cities like Karachi, Lahore etc.

 

[Sugarcane]

Each province needs to be divided in smaller units not just Punjab - Proposed division is just for political gains where wadares of south can retain power. So, No division under current govt. they don't have any mandate to do this.

 

[Patriots]

Each province needs to be divided in smaller units not just Punjab - Proposed division is just for political gains where wadares of south can retain power. So, No division under current govt. they don't have any mandate to do this.

Totally agreed ... Provinces can be made as small unit & administration bases not ethnic ..

 

[Jango]

Jatay jatay joi karnama to karna hai!!!

Why not just leave it to the next government? And if they are so sure of winning the elections, then do it yourself next year.

IMO this is nothing more than an election ploy, they will get more easy votes from that area by raising the province slogan.

ANything done by the PPP ends up badly.

 

[ice_man]

amazing ZARDARI does it again!!! all of a sudden no one expected and BANG PPP pulls out a move that will make south punjab pro PPP while north punjab will see PML Q,PML N & PTI fight it out!

 

[darkinsky]

bhai log, you guys supported this democracy now suffer it

as i said, these 2 months will be too much for a corrupt regime, but you guys supported democracy now suffer

 

[Emmie]

It's just a political drama, PPP is just pulling in the voters of south Punjab!

Koi sooba wooba nahi ban raha..

 

[ice_man]

always support democracy! we have never had pure democracy so we are lagging we will learn with time! give democracy time!!!!

even islam tells us CHOSE THE BEST AMONGST YOU FOR KHALIFAH! isn't that democracy???????

 

[Devil Soul]

New province must be made on administrative basis rather than ethnic basis....
if i'm not wrong the new province resolution must be tabled in PA & they (PA) need to pass it .. after that only the new province will be created and PA is in no mood to approve it during this tenure.....its political stunt played by PPP & Co for political gains during the upcoming elections... they don't really care about the ordinary people of the area..