Formation of new provinces in Pakistan is the need of the hour and our party
has already supported “Provinces of Hazara and Bahawalpure and if there
is possibility of more provinces, they should be formed immediately.
This was stated by President Pakistan Muslim League and Chairman
Senate Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs Senator Salim Saifullah
Khan in a statement issued from PML Central Secretariat here on
Saturday.
The president also warned that the formation of these provinces
should not be on ethnic basis as it will augment ethnicity in the
country and would open new Pandora’s Box; rather they should be formed
on administrative basis.
He said that the administrative map of Pakistan had undergone
various changes since 1947. He said that in an effort to improve
governance, we should be geared towards continuous improvements to the
system and the realignment of the administrative units such as
provinces, divisions, districts and Tehsils.
He further said that splitting the provinces into more compact,
efficient and effective units would also have the added benefit of
reducing the importance of Provincies, which interfered with the
cohesion of the country as one Nation. He said that provincial slogans
would be replaced by national slogans and everyone would be a Pakistani
instead of Pashtoon, Punjabi, Sindhi or Baluch.
He highlighted that if the provices were formed on administraive
basis, it would discourage some politicians who raise their provincial
slogans such as ‘’Greater Baluchistan’’, “Jeay Sindh”, “Pashtoonistan”
and ‘’ jag Punjabi jag’’ would lose their charm and these slogans would
become irrelevant and they would also lose the power to divide the
country into racial blocks.
He said that formation of provinces on the administrative grounds
would negate provincialism, promote nationalism, harmony and the
country would be on the path of development. He said that India had 35
provinces; Afghanistan had more than 26 provinces then why not Pakistan
should have more provinces. SANA
