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Seraiki province – parties have own axes to grind
By Amjad Mahmood
The critical question here is how to achieve the division of Punjab in the provincial assembly where the PML-N is in majority and considers the bifurcation against its political interests. - File photo
LAHORE: The debate on administrative division of Punjab is expanding day by day as political parties not represented in the parliament are also jumping into the decades-old controversy re-ignited by some Pakistan People’s Party MPAs belonging to southern part of the province during the ongoing budget session of the Punjab Assembly.
PPP’s senior coalition partner -- the Pakistan Muslim League-N -- ruling the province, seems to be lacking directions from the high command on the issue, though it has opposed timing of the move.
A central leader of the party, however, terms it a tactical move by the PPP to make the PML-N give in on certain terms of the proposed 18th amendment.
Labour Party, a left-wing outfit, on Tuesday held here a demonstration in support of the Seraiki province. It is the first party to bifurcate its Punjab chapter for creating Seraiki Wasaib unit.
As per legal procedure, the provincial assembly is to pass a resolution with two-thirds majority, requesting the federation to divide the province it is representing in smaller administrative units.
But, the question is how to achieve this goal in the Punjab Assembly, where the PML-N is in majority and considers the bifurcation against its political interests. The PML-Q, the opposition, is lending its silent support, seeing that PPP holds a sway in southern Punjab and thus it will become another PPP-led federating unit.
Labour Party spokesperson Farooq Tariq admits that getting the bifurcation plan passed from the present assemblies will be very difficult if not impossible. ‘It needs a mass drive like the one launched for restoration of judiciary,’ he says, adding for the purpose the party is going to build a campaign on the issue, starting with an all-party conference at Multan, scheduled for August. Seminars at district level and a couple of public meetings at Dera Ghazi Khan and Layyah are also planned by the end of the year.
‘Though we believe in administrative division of Punjab, any such move must not be based on linguistic or racial basis,’ says Ijaz Chaudhry, vice-president of Tehrik-i-Insaaf, yet another party that has recently divided its provincial chapter into three wings to make party affairs more manageable.
The Tehrik will shortly organise a stakeholders’ seminar to get to the ground realities before holding a meeting of its central executive in Multan, he says.
Asserting that 62 years of deprivations must have made the people of southern Punjab to demand the right to ‘self-rule’, he, however, is suspicious of the elements leading the move.
‘The feudal lords, owning thousands of acres of land, who had been ruling the province but keeping their voters backward, illiterate and subjugated are joining the drive. Their motives need to be analysed minutely.’
Liaquat Baloch, Jamaat-i-Islami secretary-general, claims that division of provinces into smaller administrative units is a ‘natural’ demand, and that public opinion is tilting in its favour. However, he alleges that prejudices being advanced for the cause will prove counter-productive.
‘The name of Seraiki province will have a negative impact on Sindh politics. And thus Sindh will never support the demand.’
There is an opinion that timing for raising the issue is not so ripe as the nation presently has some other priorities—the army operation in northern areas, war on terror, power crisis and severe water shortage.
Baloch says increasing ‘Americanisation’ of the country, the ‘bad’ results the ongoing army action is giving, breakdown of law and order, unemployment and rising graph of prices are the real issues confronting the masses at present.
The masses’ attention is being diverted from these matters by raising the Seraiki province issue, he asserts, representing the party that had in 1970 general election promised restoration of Bahawalpur State as a province.
The Jamaat leader wonders who made Senator Muhammad Ali Durrani to recall and revive the issue of Punjab’s division at such a critical juncture.
Similar are the views of Ijaz Chaudhry who thinks that bifurcation of Punjab should be a third or fourth national priority under the current circumstances.
But for Tariq it is the ripe time to ‘break the backbone of Punjabi ruling class’ which, he says, in an ‘unholy alliance’ with the Urdu-speaking Mohajirs, is developing central Punjab at the cost of other regions.
The Labour Party is, however, not ready to support each and every demand for a separate province. ‘We’re with the classes that are being exploited on the basis of colour, creed, caste and county.’
DAWN: Thursday, 02 Jul, 2009
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