Provincial bureaucracy shelved the South Punjab Empowerment Plan with the observations that it is not applicable/feasible due to some administrative and financial constraints. The Punjab Chief Minister Mian Shahbaz Sharif had constituted a sub-committee headed by Governor Punjab Malik Rafiq Rajwana to finalise their recommendations and feasibility report on empowerment of South Punjab to defuse the movement for Saraikistan province.
Governor Punjab insisted that the project of empowerment of South Punjab and establishment of provincial civil sub-secretariat was neither shelved nor abandoned and its study had already been completed and special secretaries would be appointed for Southern Punjab subject to the approval of Punjab Assembly .While Regional offices of Punjab Revenue board, Public Service Commission were being established in South Punjab to facilitate the people. Now people of Rojhan and Rajanpur have to travel to Lahore which is at the distance of 600 km.