AHMEDPUR EAST - Bahawalpur National Awami Party Chief Nawab Salahuddin Abbasi said that both the PPP and the PML-N have made several amendments in the Constitution to safeguard their interests but avoided to make consensus on the restoration of Bahawalpur.
He was addressing a seminar on ‘Hamari Manzil Sooba Bahawalpur’ held in Chanigoth. It was organised under the auspices of the National Press Union and attended by PPP and PML-N leaders. The BNAP chief revealed that former Bahawalpur State budget remained in surplus till its merger with Pakistan during his grandfather Nawab Sir Sadiq Mohammad Khan Khamis Abbasi’s rule. But now Rs80 billion were being collected as revenue from Bahawalpur but only Rs2 billion had been allocated for the Bahawalpuries, he regretted. He said that the PPP and PML-N were not sincere to 12.5 million people of Bahawalpur region and using Bahawalpur province issue as election stunt.
Salahuddin warned the rulers that on his call, railway tracks could be jammed and water to Sindh province from Head Punjnad could be blocked so it is time, the rulers should restore Bahawalpur province by making 24th amendment. He said that the people of Bahawalpur were determined to get rid of the slavery of Lahore, the Punjab capita, and would protest through ballot in the upcoming polls as “I do not want to put them in crisis,” he added.
He blamed that both the federal and Punjab governments did not earmark a single penny for the establishment of Bahawalpur province in their annual budgets which exposed their real intention towards the people of Bahawalpur region. The BNAP chairman said that Zulfikar Ali Bhutto had allocated 12 percent services quota in the federal and Punjab governments for the  qualified youth of Bahawalpur region just to cool down the rising temperature of Bahawalpur province movement when he came to power after the fall of Dhaka but his orders were never implemented in its true letter and spirit.
He said, “We are demanding the restoration of the province for our upcoming generation as it would ensure bright future of our youth. I have several times asked the rulers to hold a referendum on Bahawalpur province but they never reacted on it and now trying to implement their agenda in the shape of Bahawalpur Janoobi Punjab province which is not acceptable to us.”
He thanked the media persons of Bahawalpur region for creating awareness about the restoration movement. He expressed the hope that with the blessings of Almighty Allah, the people of Bahawalpur region would get their province reinstated soon. He vowed to continue his struggle despite hurdles and urged the Bahawalpuries to foil the nefarious designs of those against Bahawalpur province movement.
Earlier, PPP South Punjab Vice President Hassan Askari Sheikh, Special Assistant to Chief Minister Punjab for Health Qazi Adnan Farid, Market Committee Chairman Mian Younas, BNAP Secretary General Ilyas Ayaz, Candidate for PP-267 Malik Pervez Akhter Naich, PML-N leader Mehar Abdul Rehman Anjum, Siddique, Ehsan Ahmed, Mazhar Rasheed, Ejaz Baloch and Ahmed Khan Babar also spoke on the occasion. They also pledged their support to Nawab Salahuddin Abbasi regarding the restoration of Bahawalpur province. They termed Abbasi true son of soil.