F.P. Report
LAHORE: In support of newly-founded Junubi Punjab Sooba Muhaz (JPSM) party, President Pakistan Muslim League-Functional (PML-F) Syed Shah Mardan Shah-II alias Pir Pagara on Thursday threw his weight behind the cause of making south Punjab a separate province.
“People of southern Punjab should rightfully get a separate province,” he said in a joint press conference along JPSM leaders at Junubi Punjab Sooba Muhaz secretariat in Lahore.
Eight members of the PML-Nawaz on Monday announced to dissociate with the ruling party and form ‘Junubi Punjab Sooba Muhaz’ party demanding to give south Punjab a status of a separate province.
The dissidents include six MNAs and two MPAs namely Samiullah Chaudhry, Rana Qasim Noon, Tahir Iqbal, Asghar Ali Shah, Makhdoom Khusro Bakhtiar, Tahir Bashir Cheema, Sardar Nasrullah dareeshak and Makhdoom Basit Bukhari.
Mardan Shah also floated the idea of making alliance with the newly-founded party saying if they could not opt for merger then they could go for making alliance at the least.
“Through alliance we can pressurise the government to accede to the demands of the people. I had also suggested the same to Chaudhry brothers (of PML-Q) in a meeting. “I believe the leaders of Junubi Punjab will emerge victorious in their struggle for separate province,” he said. He said he wanted to make a similar political alliance (like in Sindh) in Punjab as well.
Muhaz’s leaders on this occasion said people of south Punjab were being misled by both the leading parties through overclaims.
PML-N dissident and leader of Junubi Punjab Sooba Muhaz Khusro Bakhtiar said still nothing was lost as the rulers could act upon their demands.
To a query, he said first the proposed amendment for south Punjab was passed from the Punjab Assembly and then it also successfully went through the Senate and when it reached the National Assembly the tenure of the Senate had expired so did all the resolutions along with it.
Khusro Bakhtiar also highlighted the plight of the dwellers of the region who once were the most prosperous people of the country, when Pakistan came into being.
