News
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Legharis want PPP support linked with new province
By Raja Riaz
LAHORE: The Legharis of Dera Ghazi Khan have demanded the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) leadership to extend its support to the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) contingent on the creation of the proposed Seraiki province in South Punjab.
A delegation of the Leghari tribe, headed by its tribal chief, Sardar Jamal Khan Leghari, a senator, called on the PML-Q chiefs, Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi at their Lahore residence Saturday afternoon and apprised them about Leghari tribe’s stance on political alliance between the PPP and PML-Q.
Those who called on the Chaudhrys included MNA Owais Khan Leghari, MPAs Mohsin Khan Leghari, Yousaf Khan Leghari, Jafar Khan Leghari, Maqsood Khan Leghari and his sons.
Sardar Jamal Khan Leghari told the Chaudharys that the Legharies were not opposed to alliance between PPP and PML-Q. “All we want is that the alliance should be in larger interest of the masses and not for personal gains,” they underscored.
“We are ready to contribute our electoral strength to pull the PPP out of the political quagmire it is in. PPP, on its part, should also come forward to meet the long standing demand of the people of South Punjab relating to the emergence of a new federating unit,” said Jamal Leghari.
Jamal said that the Legharis were always supportive of the cause of a province in South Punjab be it called ‘Seraikistan’ or any other.
Mohsin Laghari had initiated a signature movement for the creation of a separate administrative unit in Punjab last year.
He obtained signatures from MPAs belonging to the PML-Q, PPP, PML-Q dissidents group and the PML-Nawaz (PML-N).
It is worth mentioning that the legislators belonging to the PPP and the PML-Q always made the demand openly, while PML-N legislators, despite being sympathetic to the cause, remained reluctant to express their feelings openly, but assured off record their support in voting, if needed any time.
The Legharies asked the Chaudhrys to ask the PPP to amend the relevant clause of the constitution enabling the Centre to divide a federating unit without getting a resolution passed by the concerned provincial legislature.
In the prevailing clauses of the constitution, the federal government cannot divide or create a separate federating unit in any part of the existing provinces, unless the assemblies concerned pass a resolution in this regard. If such resolution gets a nod from the concerned provincial assembly, this constitutional requirement would be fulfilled. The PPP is already supporting the creation of South Punjab, but it is hard for them to get passed a resolution in the Punjab Assembly in this regard despite having the support of the PML-Q.
The signature move by Mohsin, last year, was aimed at passing such a resolution that reads, “This House recommends to the federal government to make necessary amendments in the constitution of 1973 for the creation of a separate administrative unit in Punjab.” Now the Legharis have pressed the same thing through a demand.
Talking to Daily Times, Mohsin said, “South Punjab has historically been a separate administrative unit.” “It was a separate unit in the era of Muhammad Bin Qasim. It had the status of a province even in the Mughal era and also under the rule of Raja Ranjeet Singh,” he said, adding, “We want the revival of that status. We do not want a Seraiki province on ethnic grounds, as almost 40 percent of the population in South Punjab is Baloch.”
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk