News
Wednesday, January 04, 2012
MQM, ANP exchange barbs over new provinces* ANP opposes Hazara province, but supports Saraiki province
ISLAMABAD: The Awami National Party (ANP) and Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM) exchanged heated debate over the proposal of Saraiki and Hazara provinces in the lower house of parliament on Tuesday.
The MQM legislators sought permission from the chair to suspend the rules and take up the issue of new provinces due to its national importance, while the ANP termed the demand for a new province in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa a conspiracy against the provincial autonomy ensured in the 18th Amendment of the constitution.
MQM legislator Syed Haider Abbas Rizvi told the House that the MQM had submitted a resolution regarding the creation of new provinces and the House should discuss the issue without any approval. But PML-N’s Aftab Sheikh was of the view that it was a national issue and should be discussed in the advisory committee of the National Assembly before being debated in the House.
Opposing the debate over the creation new provinces, ANP leader Haji Ghulam Ahmad Bilour said that it was a provincial matter and should not be allowed to be discussed at the national level. “My party never asked for division of Punjab or Sindh then why the people of other provinces asked for distribution of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,” he asked. PML-Q leader Waqas Ahmad Sheikh said his party fully supported the creation of new provinces. The hegemony in Lahore, Peshawar and other areas of different parties should be removed and neglected areas should be given a chance to develop their respective areas.
The heated debate over granting permission to discuss the new provinces compelled acting NA Chairman Nawab Yousuf Talpur to suspend the proceeding for 20 minutes. The House resumed after 40 minutes with hue and cry from the MQM legislators.
Later, addressing the House, Law Minister Maula Bakhsh Chandio said the House could discuss the issue after meeting some of its legal requirements. The issue should be discussed in the advisory committee, but the MQM members repeatedly sought suspension of rules from the chair and to debate over it.
Sheikh Aftab said that there were other important issues, like shortage of electricity, gas, people’s protest, but the MQM members insisted over discussion on a less important issue. He said both the MQM and the ANP were allied parties of the government, and they should sit together and decided what to discuss in the House.
ANP member Advocate Pervaiz Khan informed the House that his party fully supported the creation of Saraiki province. He claimed that injustices were carried out in Pashtun belt for the last 60 years and termed the creation of Hazara province another conspiracy against them. But the JUI-F’s MNA Laiq Khan said that Hazara had a number of resources and reiterated to create the new province at any cost. PML-Q MNA Bahadir Khan Sehre said ANP founder, Khan Abdul Ghafar Khan, always supported the oppressed people, then why was the current leadership of ANP opposing it. ijaz kakakhel/app
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk