Daily Times

Former prime minister and Senior Vice President of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani has said that the creation of southern Punjab province with Multan its provincial capital was need of the hour in order to share the burden of federation and to end the deprivation of the people of the region. He said this while giving an exclusive interview to Daily Times on the issue of creation of new provinces.

Gilani said that Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi was wasting time, energy and resources of the country by repeating and putting under discussion the already finalised bills on the issue. He said that during his tenure, he had formed a special commission, headed by Farhatullah Babar, in order to create a new province. Various politicians and think tanks were part of that commission who deliberated on the creation of a new province, he added.

“Shah Mahmood Quershi was a foreign minister too at that time and he knows everything about how the bill was passed through the Senate and the National Assembly by two-thirds majority. He is only trying to become a hero in the eyes of Prime Minister Imran Khan and misguiding people as well as the PM by proving that he has started work on southern Punjab from scratch,” said Gilani. He said that all the paperwork and research work was done by the PPP, and the only thing needed now was a constitutional amendment to make the bills applicable. He said that since the creation of Pakistan, the only prime minister and president who worked on the issue of southern Punjab are he himself and Asif Ali Zardari, respectively.

“I am truly grateful to the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) who supported us and voted for the resolution during the tenure of the PPP. However, the PML-N abstained, but still the bill was passed by two-thirds majority,” Gilani said.

All paperwork and research work to create a new province was done by the PPP, and the only thing needed now is a constitutional amendment to make the bills applicable

He said that the PPP initiated this movement and would fully support it in parliament too. “As far as creation of a new province is concerned, the PTI is simply following the vision of the PPP given in 2008, even the team of the PTI is the same now, and I hope this debate of a separate province would reach a logical conclusion soon,” said the PPP senior vice president.

Taking a jibe at the PML-N, the former premier said that creation of Bahawalpur province was against the spirit of federation. He said that the PML-N wanted dismemberment of the country through the slogan of Bahawalpur province. “Bahawalpur is no more a separate state, as it used to be, after becoming part of Pakistan. Inciting people to demand another province is neither logically nor economically viable in perspective of south Punjab province,” he said. He said Bahawalpur was an independent state and its sizeable portion was still part of India. To make its demand reasonable, the PML-N should first demand re-joining of the Indian part of Bahawalpur in order to restore its previous position, he said.

Gilani stressed the need for raising the living standard of the people of southern Punjab, who had been left deprived because of Takht-e-Lahore (throne of Lahore). He maintained that all political parties should rise above the ethnic and linguistic bases regarding creation of a new province and play their role in strengthening the federation. He said that creation of a new province would end ethnic and linguistic differences.

Southern Punjab province shall consist of Multan, Bahawalpur and Dera Ghazi Khan divisions, and the districts of Mianwali and Bhakkar – with Multan its capital. Here, Gilani said, creation of Bahawalpur province is logistically as well as scientifically wrong. “How can a province – consisting of only three districts – generate revenue for its own expenditures as well as for the national exchequer?” he asked.

Talking about the economic viability of southern Punjab, Gilani said that the proposed province had the potential to share the burden of the federation, and its productivity would be increased manifold once the province was created. “With the construction of highways and motorways, distance of Multan and Lahore has already decreased, and the people are cherishing this ease in travelling time that has decreased to 3 hours from 6 hours.”

Gilani said Multan was geographically placed in the centre of the region, and had the economic potential to become a provincial capital. He said that with the creation of a new province, new districts would be formed, and added that Layyah and parts of Dera Ghazi Khan could be joined to make a separate division. “Many such steps will help in development of positive, productive and healthy relations among provinces,” Gilani said.

He said that he was completely against the establishment of only separate secretariat instead of a separate province. He said that the people of southern Punjab did not want any colonial system with limited democracy, and added that only an autonomous province could help eliminate the deprivation of the region. However, he expressed satisfaction over the working of the government for the establishment of a separate secretariat.