SERAIKI PROVINCE BEFORE GENERAL ELECTIONS

The President had announced that the new national Seraiki Province will be established before the next general elections. It is a welcome decision and the people had been demanding Seraiki Province for the past many decades for the simple reason that the Punjab had not treated the Seraiki people and Seraiki territories well and in a just manner. The area is backward as the rulers from Punjab diverted all the resources for development of Central Punjab ignoring all the backward regions mainly the Seraiki area. Seraiki People deserved a separate province long ago as they are totally different from rest of Punjab, mainly from central and Northern Punjab. Rather the area and people more close to Sindh and Balochistan that the Central Punjab or Northern Punjab. The PPP as the party of the Federation took a right decision in coming to the right expectations of the Seraiki people creating a province according to their legitimate aspiration. By taking this decision, the PPP proved to be a party of all people, the Federation of Pakistan, and not confined to any single region. It is presumed that the PPP will regain a second term to the disappointment of the reactionary people who are opposed the progressive policies of the PPP and mainly granting autonomy to the provinces by unanimously approving the 18th Constitutional Amendment. Punjab Province and its rulers failed to come to the right expectations of the people from smaller provinces as they used Pakistan’s resources for development of Lahore and its surroundings for the past six decades ignoring backward regions even within the Punjab Province sparing Balochistan, Sindh and parts of KPK. We hope that the right-minded people of Central Punjab will also extend unqualified support to the decision of the President of Pakistan who is also co-Chairman of the PPP, in creating new Seraiki Province before the next general elections. Hopefully, the President of Pakistan and his colleagues in the coalition Government will support the PPP in creating the new province for Seraiki people. After the next general elections, a provincial Government will be formed with Multan as its capital attracting the attention of all people of the province. Hopefully, it will be a unanimous decision to make Multan as the new capital of the new Seraiki Province.
The people of Sindh, Balochistan and KPK had been supporting this demand from day one. Late Mir Ghous Bakhsh Bizenjo was the first politician in Pakistan who created separate Seraiki Province unit within his Pakistan National Party and now the PPP formed the party unit based on Seraiki Province 30 years after the decision of Mr. Bizenjo’s decision. In any case, it is welcome decision and it enjoys support of the broad masses from Punjab Sindh, Balochistan and KPK, barring vested interests. It is hoped that all the political leaders and parties will support this decision. The Seraiki People should prepare to share the assets and liabilities with the Punjab Government in Lahore so that it should be a viable province from day one. The Punjabis should generously divide the assets of Punjab and allocate more resources for its speedy development as the region of Seraiki people had been discriminated and exploited brutally. From now on, they should not be treated as the second class citizens of Pakistan and the Punjab. They should be considered as equal partners in the Pakistani Federation.
Above all, the status of Punjab as the dominating province of Pakistan will end with the creation of new Seraiki Province. It will be at par with the Seraiki Province with a sizable population balancing the power and influence of the Punjab. The smaller provinces will have some relief that the Punjab may not be able to use its brute majority in imposing undemocratic and unjust decisions on other provinces.