Member of the newly formed parliamentary commission on new provinces, Senator Rafiq Rajwana, from Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), has said that the federal government wants to bulldoze all other stakeholders on the issue of formation of new provinces and his party will not participate in any meeting of the commission until its demands regarding the creation of Fata, Hazara and other provinces are not accepted.
Talking to newsmen at his residence on Monday he said that the claims of PML-N's opponents that it was opposed to South Punjab Province were just accusations as his party got approved a resolution from the Punjab Assembly regarding creation of South Punjab and Bahawalpur Provinces.
He said that the federal government showed a highly undemocratic and dictatorial behaviour on the issue of new provinces as it constituted the 14-member commission for the division of Punjab only. "And yet Punjab is not given majority in the commission rather irrelevant people like ANP and MQM are taken on board who have nothing to do with Punjab," he claimed.
He said that the government was not serious in the creation of new provinces. "The rulers are using the issue as a political slogan for their election campaign," he added. He said that although the PML-N tabled a resolution for the creation of Hazara and Fata provinces in the national assembly, it was not put on agenda for discussion. He said that the PML-N was symbol of federation and therefore it talked for the residents of all areas of the country. Referring to Sardar Zulfiqar Khan Khosa issue, he said that the reconciliation and return of Khosas in the party was a good omen. He said that the party workers, especially those from South Punjab were highly worried on Khosas defection.