The major opposition party in the National Assembly and Punjab provincial assembly-Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) -has refused to extend support to any government bill for the creation of a separate province in Punjab, unless the government agrees to create two provinces-Bahawalpur and Multan-in Punjab. Talking to Business Recorder, PML-N parliamentary leader Senator Mushahidullah Khan said that his party has already submitted two bills in the National Assembly for creation of two new provinces in Punjab.
"The PTI government is engaging in tricks," he said, adding that the PTI does not have the numbers to get the required resolutions for new provinces passed through the National Assembly and Punjab provincial assembly," he added. Under the constitution, a resolution for the new provinces must be passed by two-thirds majority in each House-National Assembly and Senate-after its passage with a two-thirds majority from the respective provincial assembly.
The PTI government enjoys a simple majority in the National Assembly and Punjab provincial assembly due to which it needs support of the PML-N for the passage of any resolution seeking the creation of new provinces. A PTI lawmaker from Southern Punjab told Business Recorder that creation of Southern Punjab province has been a top agenda item of every political party ahead of the general elections.
He said that his party is committed to setting up a separate secretariat for South Punjab province before the upcoming budget, and it would then seek the opposition's support for passage of the resolution from the provincial assembly. "We don't have the required majority, but we will try to seek support of the PML-N and other parties for a separate province in Punjab," he said, adding that if the opposition parties refuse to support the PTI's move for a new province, the government would go for a separate secretariat and allocate special funds for development of the area.
The Pakistan People's Party which has only seven legislators in Punjab Assembly has submitted a constitution amendment bill in the Senate to create South Punjab province. "The new province shall comprise Multan, Bahawalpur and Dera Ghazi Khan divisions, and the districts of Mianwali and Bhakkar," said PPP Secretary General Farhatullah Babar. He said the PPP waited for eight months for the fulfillment of PTIs pledge to create a Southern Punjab province within the first hundred days after coming into power but to no avail.
Babar said the PTI won 30 out of 50 parliamentary seats from the Seraiki belt on the promise of making it a separate province and asked why the government was dragging its feet on the issue. "We are willing to lend support to the government for Southern Punjab province, but there is a lukewarm response from the government side," he added.
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