Lahore  -   The party lines are quite clear. Despite major political differences, all mainstream political parties support the creation of Janoobi Punjab province out of the bigger Punjab.

It has been six years since the Punjab Assembly (2008-2013) adopted two unanimous resolutions on May 9, 2012 calling for restoration of the old State of Bahawalpur and carving out a new Janoobi (south) Punjab province comprising rest of the districts in the southern belt.

The Punjab Assembly resolutions then came at the heels of a National Assembly resolution on Punjab’s divisions passed a week before on May 3, 2012.

The passage of two unanimous resolutions by the Punjab Assembly was then dubbed a rare show of unanimity by all the political parties including the PML-N, the PPP and the PML-Q. The PTI was not part of the National Assembly and the provincial house at that time (due to its boycott of 2008 general elections), but Khan’s party has also been a staunch advocate of south Punjab province since its re-entry into the parliamentary politics in 2013. During the electioneering for 2018 elections, the PTI made it one of its election slogans promising to start the initial procedure in its first 100 days.

A group of senior politicians from south Punjab had created a group just before the 2018 polls to press for their demand for a new province. But this group eventually landed in the PTI after seeking assurance that it would do the spadework in its first 100 days in government if elected to power after the elections.

However, a statement coming from PML-Q’s Secretary General Tariq Bashir Cheema stressing creation of Bahawalpur province separate from the Janoobi Punjab province, has perturbed the PTI government which is opposed to the move. Tariq Cheema is a federal minister as his party is a coalition partner with the PTI in the centre and the Punjab province.

“PTI’s election promise was only for the creation of one province of Janoobi Punjab. The making of Bahawalpur province is not part of the party manifesto,” Punjab government’s spokesperson Fayazul Hasan Chohan told The Nation.

Asked about his party’s line of action if all other parties supported the Bahawalpur province, the information minister said (laughing though): “Let them first agree on the one province of south Punjab.” Chohan further stated that the PTI government would support one province only and that too on administrative grounds. He also mentioned a task force headed by Shah Mehmood Qureshi already working on the subject.

PML-Q’s Secretary Information Kamil Ali Agha, however, said that his party may soften its stance on Bahawalpur province if all other parties evolve consensus over creation of one province.

Spokespersons of the PPP and PML-N were not available for comments but the two parties are on record having supported the creation of two provinces - Bahawalpur and Janoobi Punjab through Punjab Assembly resolutions of May 2012.

Also, the PPP had offered its full support to the last PML-N government way back in 2013 for creation of two new provinces in Punjab. Former Prime Minister Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani is on record having said that PPP was ready to support the PML-N if it tabled a bill for creation of two new provinces – Bahawalpur and South Punjab – as per Punjab Assembly resolutions.

Experts believe that creation of new provinces would prove to be a daunting task for the government as it will give rise to new controversies over division of water and other resources among the new units.

It is quite evident from the constitutional scheme on the creation of new federating units that no single party could materialise this objective. Sub-clause 4 of Article 239 says that the President shall not sign a bill amending geographical boundaries of a province unless it is passed by two-thirds majority of both the houses and is also approved by the provincial assembly concerned by a two-thirds majority.

Earlier, following the passage of resolutions on the new provinces by the National and Punjab Assemblies, the PPP’s federal government had constituted a national commission to settle the important issues of geographical demarcation, judicious distribution of water and other resources, and all other constitutional, legal and administrative matters.

On 28th of January, 2013, the commission had submitted its report with the Prime Minister and the National Assembly Speaker recommending creation of a separate province to address the grievances of the people of south Punjab.

The commission had proposed that the new province could be named as “Bahawalpur-Janoobi Punjab” with its capital in Bahawalpur.

The commission in its report had also framed recommendations about the geographical boundaries of the new province. It had then suggested that the new province may comprise of the three existing divisions of the Punjab, namely, Multan, Bahawalpur and DI Khan divisions and the two districts of Mianwali and Bhakkar.

The commission also addressed the issues of distribution of resources among the provinces recommending that Water Accord of 1991 should be revisited to provide for share of the new province.

The commission in its reports had also suggested amendments in eight articles of the Constitution to give effect to the proposal of creating the new province. The parliamentary body also prepared a draft of the constitutional amendment bill in consultation with the Law Division. Any further progress on the issue is still awaited.

 

 

MUBASHIR HASSAN