By Ajmal Khan Yousafzai
ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi Wednesday said the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) would table a bill in the National Assembly soon for the establishment of ‘South Punjab’ province.
Talking to a presser here at the Parliament House after a meeting regarding South Punjab chaired by Prime Minister Imran Khan, he congratulated the people as the final look was under review for the establishment of South Punjab province which was on the cards.
The foreign minister said the 35% budget of Punjab would be allocated for South Punjab. He said in the past, the funds for the region were promised but not allocated in letter and spirit. He also informed that in April, an additional chief secretary and additional inspector general
of police for South Punjab would be appointed adding one of the officials would set up his/her office in Multan while the other one in Bahawalpur.
He said adequate measures were being adopted to fulfill the promise for establishing a South Punjab province.
He said once a province had been created then it would also be given its due share in the national finance commission (NFC) award.
FM Qureshi said the ruling party would reach out the other political parties for the formation of the province with mutual consensus.
“Right now, no party has a two-third majority in the Parliament,” he said and expressed the hope that Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) would favor the bill. He also urged Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leaders in the Parliament to convince their leadership to support the bill. “The capital of South Punjab will be decided after consultations with people on the both sides of the isle,” he maintained.
Prime Minister Imran Khan chaired a meeting regarding the matters relating to South Punjab here on Wednesday.
The meeting was attended by Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Jahangir Khan Tareen, Minister for National Food Security Makhdoom Khusro Bakhtiar, Chief Minister Punjab Sardar Usman Buzdar, Minister of State Shabbir Ali Qureshi, Syed Fakhar Imam, Special Assistant to PM on Information and Broadcasting Dr. Firdous Ashiq Awan, Provincial Ministers, Members of the National and Provincial Assembles belonging to South Punjab, Chief Secretary Punjab, Inspector General Police Punjab and other senior officers.
Terming Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) announcements of setting up South Punjab as election stunts in past, State Minister for Climate Change Zartaj Gul said that PTI took first step towards establishing the separate province for South Punjab masses.
“Within first fifteen months of government of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), we have moved forward to fulfill our pledge with people of South Punjab of creating their province today by deciding deputation of Additional Chief Secretary and Additional IG for South,” Zartaj Gul stated while talking to APP on Wednesday.
It was not an election stunt. We are towards fulfilling our promises with people including South Punjab, she said, adding that the initiative will help resolving the issues faced by the masses of the area. The minister informed that they extended thanks to Prime Minister Imran Khan for this step as people of South Punjab have welcomed his gesture.
She regretted that both PML-N and PPP had used this as a slogan for electioneering in the past despite having mandate.
PTI will materialize this promise into reality under the vision and guidance of the prime minister, Gul said and added that hence Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar halted to the same area that is why he was well aware of the problems being faced by masses of South Punjab. It is the first step of the incumbent govt towards creating the province for which South Punjab people are highly obliged by PM Imran Khan, she maintained.
Minister for Foreign Affairs Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Wednesday said that a bill will be tabled in the National Assembly for the creation of the South Punjab province.
Addressing the media after a high-level meeting, Qureshi said that Prime Minister Imran Khan has taken the decision to move forward with the process of creation of the South Punjab province.
“This is in line with PTI’s manifesto,” Qureshi said.
According to Qureshi, Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar, some federal and provincial ministers from South Punjab, the Punjab chief secretary and inspector general of police were present in the meeting.
“It has been decided that a bill will be presented in the National Assembly in order to turn the South Punjab region into a province. Input and consensus will be sought from other parties on the matter,” Qureshi said, adding that other parties have been apprising the government of their interest in the creation of the province.
“They also understand that the region has been deprived [of its fair share of resources],” Qureshi said while adding that the prime minister has called a parliamentary meeting on Thursday to apprise all members of the parliament about the decision to table the bill.
Answering a question regarding why the province was never created in the past 13 years, Qureshi said: “The hindrance that all parties, including PTI, have had lies in the fact that none of us have had clear majority in the parliament. Only PML-N have had it at one point — but they didn’t.”
“Today we also do not have a clear majority in the parliament, but the PPP has repeatedly said that they want to turn the South Punjab province a reality. Former prime minister Benazir Bhutto had a clear stance on the matter and Bilawal has also spoken in favour of creating the province. Thus I expect that when PTI moves this bill, PPP — keeping their past [stance] in view — will endorse it. “Similarly, Shahbaz Sharif has said in the past that South Punjab should be given its rights and I hope that PML-N members in the parliament and the province will try and get party leadership to endorse the legislation.”
During the press conference, Qureshi said that some steps are being taken to create ease in the lives of the people of South Punjab.
“Keeping in view the concept of devolution of power — and for the ease of people from the province — the decision to create a secretariat in the region has been taken,” Qureshi said. He said that Rs3.5 billion will be required to create the secretariat and 1,350 people will need to be appointed to fill the new positions created there.
He added that as the creation of the infrastructure for a proper secretariat will also take some time, an additional chief secretary and additional inspector general of police will be appointed for South Punjab.
“Out of the two, one will station himself in Bahawalpur, while the other will establish their headquarters in Multan,” he said.
“The Punjab chief minister said in the meeting that in the upcoming budget — keeping the ratio of provincial population in mind — 35 per cent of resources will be allocated to South Punjab,” Qureshi said while further adding that this share will then not be re-appropriated or channelled to other areas.
“This has been happening in every previous year, funds are allocated for South Punjab and then channelled to other areas as the year progressed — we have decided to not do that this year,” the minister said.
