LAHORE - Punjab Governor Makhdoom Syed Ahmad Mahmood will make an important announcement on proposed Bahawalpur province in a public meeting at Mahmood Stadium in Rahim Yar Khan on Sunday (today).
A resolution will also be presented to the national assembly in its upcoming session for the creation of Bahawalpur province, which is likely to include Multan and Dera Ghazi Khan areas.
The governor on Saturday presided over meeting of the Core Committee on Bahawalpur province including JI Punjab President Dr Waseem Akhtar, Tabish Alvery, Hafiz Ahmad Hassain Madni, Mumtaz Matiana, and Abdul Qadir Shaheen.
The committee discussed in detail different aspects of the proposal for the new province, to be created out of the historic Bahawalpur state with the addition of some nearby areas. Sources said the meeting dropped the idea of carving out two provinces in the Punjab and it is expected that the proposal for another province with the name of Janoobi Punjab will be put on the backburner by the federal government too.
The meeting however did take into the consideration the exercise carried out by the federal government so far for the restoration of the Bahawalpur state in the form of new province and the members did not object to the proposal of including Dera Ghazi Khan and Multan divisions in this new province.
The meeting perused the recommendations prepared for the Bahawalpur province and decided to expedite contacts with all stakeholders to develop a consensus. They said the Punjab governor is interested only in the restoration of the Bahawalpur Province and at the meeting, he also pressed its need. Sources said the governor also told the meeting that he had moved a resolution in the Punjab Assembly for the restoration of Bahawalpur province which would be carried out.
As to the formation of Janoobi Punjab province, sources say, the meeting did not approve it at this stage for it needed a lot of time to work out the matters relating to it as some parts of Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had to be also included therein. Therefore the idea of creating Janoobi Punjab did not merit entertainment at this stage, the members agreed.
The meeting agreed that the creation of Bahawlpur province was rather easier and it this dream could be realised before the general elections. They noted that Bahawlapur province would serve a good means to address backwardness of the people of this part of the country and also relieve grievances of other provinces against Punjab that it being the most populous and powerful province was usurping their due rights.
Governor Makhdoom Ahmad Mahmood in his address today would announce restoration of Bahawalpur province which however would be materialised under the law after the national assembly formally adopt the resolution. The Punjab Assembly has already carried two resolutions for Bahawalpur province.