Staff Report
ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Religious Affairs and Chairman Hazara Province Movement, Sardar Muhammad Yousaf on Wednesday called for the creation of new provinces, including Hazara, to bring governance closer to the people, improve service delivery and ensure greater public access to centres of power.
Addressing a national dialogue organised by the Islamabad Bar Association, he said Pakistan had four provinces at the time of its creation and the number had remained unchanged despite a substantial increase in population, districts, tehsils and administrative requirements.
“The time has come to create new provinces, including Hazara,” he said, adding that the demand for Hazara province was constitutional, democratic and based purely on administrative considerations rather than linguistic or ethnic identity. Sardar Yousaf said the people of Hazara had rendered sacrifices for the cause, with seven people losing their lives during the movement for a separate province.
He said resolutions in favour of Hazara province had been passed three times by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly, while bills relating to its creation had also been introduced in the National Assembly and Senate.
The minister said population growth had increased public needs and administrative challenges.
Drawing an analogy with expanding families, he said that as families grew, new houses were built; similarly, the increase in districts and tehsils provided a basis for considering additional provinces.
He said the 18th Constitutional Amendment had devolved powers from the federation to the provinces, but adequate authority had not subsequently been transferred from provinces to districts and divisions.
“Our struggle is aimed at empowering the people and ensuring their access to centres of power,” he said, adding that new provinces should have adequate administrative and financial powers to generate revenue, formulate policies and implement them.
Sardar Yousaf said the Hazara Province Movement supported demands for new provinces from other parts of the country if they were based on genuine administrative and public needs.
He said smaller administrative units could improve management and governance and help resolve people’s problems more efficiently.
Speaking on national and religious responsibilities, Sardar Muhammad Yousaf said Pakistan, as a nuclear power, had an important role to play in regional and international affairs.
Referring to Pakistan’s agreement concerning the protection of Harmain Sharifain, he said the protection of the holy places was a responsibility of all Muslims.
He said Pakistan had made a commitment in this regard and that the entire nation was prepared to make every sacrifice for the protection of Harmain Sharifain.
The minister said Pakistan would firmly resist any action against the holy places and fulfil its responsibilities in this regard.
President Islamabad Bar Association, Chaudhry Naeem Ali Gujar, former chairman Bar Council, Raja Aleem Abbasi and Coordinator Lawyers Wing, Abdul Wahid Qureshi said the debate on new provinces had now reached the legal fraternity and stressed the need to ensure public access to empowered administrative centres.
Aleem Abbasi said he supported the creation of Hazara province and called for a proper course of action by the relevant institutions in view of growing demands for administrative restructuring.
Abdul Wahid Qureshi said lawyers had become active in support of the Hazara province demand and announced that programmes on the issue would be organised at bar associations across the country.
Central Coordinator, Professor Sajjad Qamar said Hazara possessed significant natural and economic resources, including dams, the Hattar Industrial Estate, tourism potential, forests and other resources.
He said the proposed province could utilise these resources for development and public welfare, reiterating that the demand was administrative and not based on ethnicity or language.
Parliamentary Secretary Dr. Shaista Jadoon, Qari Mehboobur Rehman, Member Provincial Assembly (MPA) Syeda Sonia Shah, Advocate Nargis Kazmi, Sardar Mehtab Abbasi, Chaudhry Majid Mukhtar and Syed Riaz Ali Shah also addressed the gathering.
The national dialogue was attended by lawyers, media representatives and other participants, including Karachi Coordinator Haji Khursheed Hazrawi, Moin Khan and Advocate Afshan Saeed.
