By Asim Hussain
ISLAMABAD: President of the Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party (IPP) Abdul Aleem Khan on Sunday said public opinion was largely in favour of creating new provinces and stressed the need to turn the slogan of “New Provinces, New System” into a reality.
He was talking to delegations comprising prominent political figures from South Punjab who called on him and appreciated his consistent stance in support of the creation of new provinces.
During the meeting, the delegations invited IPP President Abdul Aleem Khan to visit Multan at the earliest and assured him of a warm and enthusiastic welcome. The participants expressed their full support for his position on the creation of new provinces and said they stood with him on this important national issue.
Talking to them, Abdul Aleem Khan said that the outreach campaign for the creation of new provinces would be further intensified and that meetings would be held with like-minded political and social figures to build broader consensus on the issue. He announced that after visiting Bahawalpur and Multan, he would also visit Hazara in this regard.
He said consensus on the creation of new provinces was already emerging and public opinion had largely been developed in favour of the proposal.
The IPP President said that the shortcomings of the existing system could not be addressed without creating smaller administrative units. “If we genuinely want to resolve the problems faced by the people, new provinces must be created,” he said.
He observed that in the past, several political leaders had merely raised the slogan of a South Punjab province but failed to take any practical steps towards its creation.
Abdul Aleem Khan said he had taken up the cause of new provinces in good faith and in the national interest and that a comprehensive campaign would continue to build support for the initiative. He added that those opposing the creation of new provinces were primarily concerned with retaining their political dominance and influence.
He further said that political leaders who talked about new provinces before elections often remained silent on the issue for the next four and a half years. “The time has come to move beyond political slogans and take practical steps,” he added.
Abdul Aleem Khan announced that he would soon visit Multan and Bahawalpur. He said a decision had also been taken to establish a central office of the Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party in Multan for South Punjab and to further organise and expand political activities in the region.
Referring to the PIMS tragedy, Abdul Aleem Khan said the incident had demonstrated the need for fundamental reforms in the existing system. “Unless we prepare ourselves for change, circumstances will not change,” he said.
The visiting delegations also congratulated Abdul Aleem Khan on the formation of the Government in Gilgit-Baltistan and reiterated their full support for his clear and unequivocal position on the creation of new provinces.
IPP Secretary General Mian Khalid Mahmood and Provincial President Rana Nazir Ahmed Khan, along with other party leaders, also participated in the meeting.
