Right on the heels of the constitution of a 27-member committee to oversee a major amendment to the Constitution comes a stronger appeal for creation of a new province compromising areas of Southern Punjab. The demand for a new province is being equally advocated by both the ‘Q’ and ‘N’ factions of PML. PML-N leader Makhdoom Javed Hashmi is among those leading the cause.
The demand for a Seraiki province has been in the air for about 25 years now, but it is for the first time in the country’s history that the top two or three political parties of the country have started a struggle in the assembly for creation of a fifth province.
During the recent session of the Punjab Assembly, PPP MPA from Rajanpur Sardar Athar Khan Gorchani categorically lamented poverty and hunger in Southern Punjab and demanded creation of a new province in the region. PML-Q’s Malik Sher Ali demanded creation of a new province from Southern Punjab because, according to him, the people of that region were denied their rights.
Gorchani also had a verbal spat with PML-N’s Waris Kalloo over the issue when he [Gorchani] vowed to raise the issue again in the provincial assembly, while another renowned Seraiki ‘nationalist’ Taj Ahmad Langah termed this advocacy of the issue a ‘major breakthrough’, as the issue that was previously limited to a theory of a few is now being actively pursued by all the powerful and active.
It is also being touted that it was the pressure of masses that Seraiki-oriented politicians like Yousuf Raza Gilani, Tehmina Daultana, Shah Mehmood Qureshi, PML-N’s Rana Mahmoodul Hasan and others were voted to power. It is being said that if anybody ignored the popular demand of a Seraiki province, they would be ignored in the future elections.
Taj Muhammad Langah has even written to the 27-member committee to add the demand for Seraiki province to their drafted recommendations for amendments to the Constitution so that no political party should oppose the demand at the eleventh hour. He has also urged that the committee should conduct a survey in this regard, as his party among many others had boycotted the elections and could not do so on their own.
Surprisingly, PML-Q Senator Muhammad Ali Durrani has become very active advocating the administrative division of the Punjab. Ironically, Durrani Sahib himself resides in the posh environs of Lahore and his sudden advocacy of a Seraiki province, comprising Multan and Bahawalpur, is being viewed rather suspiciously. Some openly opine that Durrani and others demanding a new province are working on some anti-state agenda.
An odd factor in this whole issue is that despite the stormy advocacy of a separate province, no one openly demands a Seraiki province but a separate Southern Punjab province with some administrative facilities. Even if some MPAs favor a Seraiki province, they never advocate it openly rather they want any amount of provincial autonomy by any name whatsoever.
Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah Khan has openly made it clear that under no circumstances will the Punjab be divided. Actually, it’s no other than the Seraiki leaders who are responsible for all discriminations and deprivations of the Southern Punjab. These leaders lead a luxurious lifestyle in the posh cities like Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad and visit their backward Seraiki region only during the elections.
The Punjab government is willing to call a separate meeting to discuss the deprivation of backward areas, but says it will only allow those elected members who do not reside in Lahore or Islamabad. It further says that Pakistan requires cohesive unity at the moment and not further carvings of any kind, which would rather develop further complications. 
Delivering a special package to address the grievances of the Southern Punjab, the Punjab government has blamed the Southern Punjab leadership for the deprivation of their electorate. Senior advisor to the Punjab CM Sardar Zulfikar Khose has also expressed his dislike of this talk of provincialism at this critical juncture saying that some unscrupulous elements were trying to cash in on this issue.
Agreeing to the creation of new provinces on administrative basis, he strongly opposed a division of the province on ethnic or class basis that would only serve to increase hatred. PML (Q) leader Mohsin Khan Leghari and PML-N’s Ahmad Ali Aulakh have strongly denounced it saying that those demanding a separate province wanted to create their own fiefdoms.
Chaudhry Abdul Ghafoor derided the demand for further division of the Punjab in the present volatile situation but said that such things could be considered in calmer times. He berated Muhammad Ali Durrani and Sheikh Rashid Ahmad for giving impulsive statements without realizing the fact that they were responsible for creating this volatile situation.
Ather Ali Gorchani - the leading advocate of this issue – maintains that problems had multiplied due to increase in population calling for a division of the Punjab into three parts! He regretted the fact that 16 districts of South Punjab had been allocated a package of Rs 5 billion compared to Rs 26 billion allocated for Lahore’s Ring Road alone. He cites the example of less populated Indian Punjab, which had been divided on administrative basis.
Another PPP MPA from Bahawalpur Chaudhry Hasan Gujjar reminded that before One Unit, Bahawalpur was a separate province and vowed to revert to the tradition purely on administrative basis.
Leader of Opposition in the Punjab Assembly Chaudhry Zaheer-ud-Din is at a loss to understand the logic behind creating of a fifth province requiring extensive constitutional amendments. Provincial minister Kamran Michael has lauded the restless efforts of the Punjab, despite its limited means, to solve the problems being faced by South Punjab and said that as part of good governance the PML-N was taking all along in the mainstream politics.
Replying to a question, Punjab Minister for Local Government Dost Muhammad Khosa says that unless the country gets out of the troubled waters, this issue could be carried ahead with consensus purely on administrative basis. Ms Samia Amjad, another MPA from Southern Punjab, demanded that all those advocating the issue should first raise it at their party level. She also asked how such new province(s) will manage and harness their budgets and resources. Another MPA from Sargodha Shahzadi Umar Tiwana has also criticized the division of the Punjab and advised against polishing politics on the issue.