New provinces: Draft of 20th Amendment bill submitted by MQM

Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) on Monday submitted the draft of 20th Amendment bill in the National Assembly Secretariat for creation of new provinces in the country. The MQM also submitted two resolutions in the Senate on Monday demanding creation of Hazara and Seraiki provinces. The Bill was submitted by MQM Parliamentary Leader Dr Farooq Sattar and other parliamentarians of the party.
The bill calls for making Hazara a separate province while making up to two provinces in Southern Punjab. The bill suggests referendum in Southern Punjab on the issue if there should be one or two provinces. According to the bill, the population of Pakistan has increased from 33.8 million in 1951 to projected 132.35 million in 2011 and though in most of the developing countries of the world, the provinces/states have increased manifold with the increase in population, the number of provinces in Pakistan remained static.
The Bill further says: "Amendment of Article 1 of the Constitution.-In Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, hereinafter referred to as the Constitution, in Article 1, in clause (2) paragraph (a) after the words 'the Pakhtoonkhwa and 'comma' words 'the Hazara and 'comma' be inserted and after the words 'the Punjab comma and' the words "the Southern Punjab, (one or more provinces to be ascertained through a referendum)' shall be inserted.
Amendment of article 51, in clause 3, below the words 'Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa' words' Hazara' be inserted and below the words 'Punjab' the words "Southern Punjab (one or more provinces as ascertained through the referendum)' shall be inserted. Amendment of article 106, in clause (1) below the Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa the words, 'Hazara', be inserted and below the words 'Punjab' the words 'Southern Punjab', (one or more provinces as ascertained through the referendum)' shall be inserted.
The MQM also submitted two resolutions in Senate for making Hazara a separate province and carving out province/provinces out of south Punjab. The resolutions were signed by Babar Ghauri, Ahmed Ali, Tahir Mashhadi, Sheerala Malik, Haseeb Khan and Abudl Khaliq Pirzada. The resolution pertaining to province/provinces in south Punjab stated that province/ provinces should be made on the basis of districts or divisions, adding that their names should be selected as per the opinion of the people.
The other resolution said that six districts including Mansehra, Abbottabad, Kohistan, Haripur, Batagram and Toor be merged into Hazara province. Talking to media, Farooq Sattar said people would have to be given their due rights. He said there is need for national consensus and for this purpose his party is approaching other parties.