Creation of new provinces: PML-N asks government to form 'national commission'

Endorsing creation of new provinces on administrative basis rather on ethnic grounds, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) on Monday asked the government to set up a 'national commission' with substantive consultations with opposition for carving new administrative units. The development came during a meeting of the PML-N special committee on new provinces chaired by party's president Mian Nawaz Sharif here at Punjab House.
The chairman of the committee, Senator Raja Zafar-ul-Haq presented the preliminary findings, endorsing the policy on new provinces enunciated by party's president in his address to PML-N general council in Islamabad on July 27 2011 that the country needs new provinces on administrative basis and PML-N would support such a move on merit.
The PML-N also demanded of the government to establish a national commission to have substantive consultations with opposition to accomplish national consensus on these goals and to achieve the required constitutional amendments and consequent division of resources for the creation of new provinces. About the commission, Zafarul-Haq said that it should comprise members from all political parties both in and outside the parliament. Tasked to prepare suggestions, the special committee was constituted on August 01, 2011 by Mian Nawaz Sharif owing to increasing debate on the creation of new provinces especially the Seraiki province in South of Punjab.
Besides Senator Raja Zafar-ul-Haq as it chairman, the committee members included Makhdoom Javed Hashmi, Zulfiqar Ali Khan Khosa, Mehtab Ahmad Khan, Ishaq Dar, Iqbal Zafar Jhagra, Lieutenant General Abdul Qadir Baloch (Retd), Ahsan Iqbal, Mamnoon Hussain, Yaqoob Khan Nasir, Lieutenant General Salahuddin Tirimzi (Retd), Tehmina Daultana, Arshad Khan Leghari and Chaudhry Jaffer Iqbal.
The meeting also discussed in detail the situation in Sindh arising out of unprecedented target killings and the policy somersault of the government regarding local governments. The Committee felt that the Zardari regime has insulted the people of Sindh by first carrying out a 'de-facto' division of the province, thereby sacrificing the interests of the people of the province on the altar of political expediency. The meeting also expressed complete solidarity with the people of Sindh and assured them that it will oppose move by any quarter that will harm the interest of the Sindh's citizens.