Boundaries Of Seraiki Province PDF Print E-mail

By Shakeel Ahmad

DAWN.com

 

 

Nowadays Seraiki intellectuals and politicians are doing public rounds on how to get the idea of a Seraiki province realised? Some support the restoration of defunct Bahawalpur province that has administrative control of other Seraiki speaking districts. Others demand the proposed Seraiki province be carved out of all Seraiki districts of Punjab and the NWFP through a presidential ordinance.

Islamabad-based Seraiki intellectual Ahsan Wagah says that ideally not only Seraiki province but all provinces should be based on lingo-cultural boundaries. Pragmatically, the Seraikis should get whatever is being offered to them.He said the formation of a new province was not a simple act as it would require a lot of work to be settled. He said the reinstatement of Bahawalpur province as administrative unit was something which the people of the area demanded as the province was taken away from them by force.

He said the demand for a larger Seraiki province had been matured and the growing disparity between the central Punjab and the Seraiki regionhad made the issue unavoidable.

 

 

 

 

Seraiki Qaumi Party (SQP) General Secretary Mansoor Kareem Sial said that the restoration of the Bahawalpur province was not viable economically.

He said that it would be amusing that the province would consist of three districts while it would have the administrative control of more than dozen districts. He added the creation of the Seraiki province was also a constitutional issue.

Former Punjab deputy speaker Mian Usman Abbasi said the restoration of the Bahawalpur province and putting other Seraiki districts under its control was the shortest way towards the Seraiki province.

He said Bahawalpur held infrastructure required for a province and the status of Bahawalpur as province could be restored without any constitutional hindrance.

Muttahida Tehreek Bahali Sooba Bahawalpur General Secretary Qari Moonis Baloch says their movement is not concerned with any cultural or linguistic aspect as the provinces and they only want the restoration of the Bahawalpur province as it was during one unit rule till 1955.

He claimed that major political figures of that time such as Mumtaz Daultana, Asghar Khan, Mufti Mehmood, Nawabzada Nasrullah Khan, Maulana Bhashani, Ghulam Ghaus Hazarvi, Maulana Maudodi, Shorish Kashmeri and Maulana Abdullah Darkhawsti had supported the movement for the restoration of the Bahawalpur province when the one unit was dissolved in 1970.

Zahoor Dhareja, a Seraiki leader, however, opposes the restoration of Bahawalpur province, saying the Seraiki province should be based on cultural boundaries.

Dhareja said that nobody could object to the formation of a province for the Seraikis when the Sindhis are living is Sindh, Punjabis in Punjab and Balochs in Balochistan while the Pashtuns are demanding the change of the name of their province.

He said the restoration of Bahawalpur province would be injustice with other Seraiki districts, particularly Dera Ismail Khan, Bannu and Tank that are historically and culturally the part of the Seraiki belt but were included in the NWFP by the British regime.

he establishment of the Seraiki province did not need a two-thirds majority in parliament and it could only be established through a presidential ordinance, Dhareja added.

He said the proposed Seraiki province should be consisted of 22 districts: Bahawalpur, Bahawalnagar, Rahim Yar Khan, Multan, Khanewal, Vehari, Pakpattan, Sahiwal, Okara, Lodhran, Muzaffargarh, Layyah, Dera Ghazi Khan, Rajanpur, Jhang, Toba Tek Singh, Mianwali, Bhakkar, Khushab, Dera Ismail Khan, Bannu and Tank.

 

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Comments  

 
0 #5 Aniqa 2012-01-02 18:12
If you get a province don't name it Saraikistan... let me suggest you a better name .. just call it Saraik ... it would sound much better and innovative. Siraikistan sounds bit :( :( anyway I just wanted to avoid a NWFP to KPK kind of thing ..
I vote for Saraik not for Saraikistan !!
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-1 #4 Mano 2011-08-12 18:40
I do not belong to PUNJAB but the word SIRAIKISTAN sounds great.
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-1 #3 Shah Ji 2011-08-06 15:58
Dear Brother, whenever there is injustic, people took stand and at last they win.Have you mind? If you have just analysis, From pindi to Lahore how many universities? How many industries? How many airports? How many medical colleges? How many motorways? How many development? listen, 13 districts of seraiki belt, only 2 main medical colleges, 2 universities, no international airport(multan is in progress),nexce pt DG cement, no proper industry, All funds finished on development of upper punjab. If you are muslim and true pakistani, analyase it.I belong to seraiki belt and i know, what are our real issues.Please always justic. May Allah progress our pakistan. Seraiki province must and soon will be on the MAP.
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+1 #2 Shaheen Farooq 2011-06-07 05:54
The other day , i discussed this issue with one of my Saraiki colleague.People simply argue that they had to travel to Lahore 4 their transfer or administrative works etc.So is this the only reason that they demand 4 a new province while having the identity of being part of Punjab 4 so many years?
I will never wish 4 a new province because this is totally leading to a bled-shed and a life time enmity with Punjabis. Please , we (South)have been a part of Punjab and please be a part of Punjab because Punjab is your identity....
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-3 #1 iqbal952000 2011-06-05 14:33
I support restoration of seraiki belt. We are deprived of basic rights since long. Our leadres are never realized the sufferings of this belt. Below are some points as food for thought.

-60% exports of Pakistan are based on cotton/cotton based products which is produced mainly in seraiki belt. All processing/ value addition in N. Punjab
-We are treated as lower class people by The Punjabis being nurtured on our earning from cotton.
-Development in Mutan, Bahawapur as compaped to Lahore is Nill.
- I shall come up with Data in next message.
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