Pakistani opposition party finally agrees for new provinces

Islamabad, Aug 7, IRNA – Pakistan main opposition party has finally decided to support the idea of creating new provinces in the country, reports said on Saturday.

The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz has said that new provinces should be created on administrative grounds rather than on ethnic and linguistic basis.

According to reports, the final decision regarding the issue will be taken at the highest party meeting to be held next Monday in Islamabad, which will be chaired by PML-N President Nawaz Sharif.

In a statement PML-N Deputy Secretary General Ahsan Iqbal asserted that provinces should be created on the basis of ideology.

Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani has said that the government would take on board all the stakeholders regarding the issue of new provinces, adding that calls for creating new provinces have been growing louder with politicians.

Earlier the media reported that the government of Pakistan had initiated spadework for a new province in the southern part of the country.

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) led government has taken the decision to bifurcate Punjab province into two provinces to counter the expected agitation by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz led Punjab government.

Saraiki province would comprise Southern Punjab districts and the government is likely to make some announcement in this regard during the current month or soon after Eidul Fitr.

Analysts assert that the PPP has gone ahead with the proposal of new provinces sans realising that it would lead to huge constitutional crisis and would make the economics of the country more vulnerable.

“How would other provinces allow Punjab to have 40 seats in the Senate when the province is divided into two?” analysts ask./end