Incomplete proposal PML-N rejects report on formation of new province

ISLAMABAD: 

With general elections looming, it seems Pakistan Muslim League –Nawaz (PML-N) has finally succeeded in countering the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party’s (PPP) move to create the new province, Bahawalpur Janobi Punjab (BJP), on legal grounds.

Though the Senate’s Standing Committee on Law and Justice has approved the Parliamentary committee’s report pertaining to the formation of a new province with a majority, the report was rejected by the PML-N on a constitutional basis here on Wednesday.

Law Minister Farooq H Naek, Barrister Aitzaz Ahsan, central leader of PPP Jehangir Badar, presidential spokesperson Farhatullah Babar, PML-N’s Raja Zafarul Haq and Zafar Ali Shah also attended the meeting.

Rejecting the parliamentary committee’s report, Senator Raja Zafarul Haq of PML-N stated that it was an incomplete proposal because some other proposed provinces were not included in the list.

Haq also said that there is no constitutional backing for the formulation of new provinces, adding that Article 239 of the Constitution only describes the procedure to change the boundaries of provinces.

Barrister Aitzaz Ahsan said a new province could not be formed under the present Constitution until there was an amendment in Article 239. He added that if a bill for the formation of a new province was presented under the present scenario, it could be challenged in court.

Meanwhile, Law Minister Naek stated that the formation of a new province could be done on an administrative not ethnic basis, adding that the Constitution did not prohibit the formation of new provinces but an amendment would be needed to Article 1.

Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl  (JUI-F) senator Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haidri said that Dera Ghazi Khan and Rajanpur should also be merged into Balochistan province, as these areas were previously part of Balochistan.  The Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) also expressed its reservations over the PPP’s move, asking why Hazara Division was not being given the status of a province.

After the meeting, Raja Zafarul Haq told The Express Tribune that if the PPP succeeded in introducing an amendment in the Constitution regarding the formulation of new provinces, then the PML-N will demand for the restoration of the old status of Bahawalpur state.

Published in The Express Tribune,

New province: Consultation urged on Rajanpur, DG Khan

LAHORE: 

Independent Senator Mohsin Khan Leghari and National Party Senator Hasil Khan Bizenjo have submitted a resolution in the Senate secretariat demanding that the people of the two districts of South Punjab should be consulted before their region is merged into the proposed Bahawalpur Janobi Punjab (BJP) province.

According to the content of the resolution, the people of DG Khan and Rajanpur should be consulted on their inclusion in the proposed new province.

Leghari said that government introduced BJP bill in Senate on February 8, which has now been referred to the Senate Standing Committee on Law and Justice and Parliamentary Affairs for deliberations.

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New Province: Senator submits amendment draft

LAHORE: Independent Senator Mohsin Khan Leghari proposed an amendment in the Senate secretariat on Friday, demanding that the will of people be considered in the decision of creating any new province.

“No district/tehsil (administrative unit) shall be reallocated to another province or be made part of any newly created province without its explicit consent,” the explanation in the draft said.

Leghari told The Express Tribune that earlier he and Senator Hasil Bizenjo had submitted their resolution in Senate secretariat calling for consultation with the people of Rajanpur and DG Khan before inducting the regions in the new province Bahawalpur Janobi Punjab.

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Bahawalpur Janoobi Punjab: Senate panel fails to take up new province bill

ISLAMABAD: 

The Senate Standing Committee on Law and Justice assigned to discuss a proposed constitutional bill, seeking the creation of Bahawalpur Janoobi Punjab province, failed to make any headway in its maiden meeting on Wednesday further complicating the fate of the newly proposed contentious amendment.

Committee members from the PPP and MQM did not attend the meeting despite the fact that the ruling party has been vocal for the cause of the Province.

Two of the 12-member Senate Panel forced the committee chairman Senator Kazim Khan of the PPP to postpone the scheduled meeting for indefinite period. Senators Raja Zafarul Haq and Zaffar Ali Shah of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, who attended the meeting, termed it a failure of the government, which, according to them, was playing politics on the serious constitutional matter.

Last week, the government amid strong protest by the opposition and reservations of some of its own allies tabled the 24th constitutional amendment bill to the Upper House of Parliament,  which was later referred to the Senate Law Panel for further deliberations. Law Minister Farooq H Naek moved the proposed bill in the Senate. The panel was tasked to send its recommendations back to the House this week.

“The government failed to develop consensus even among its own members [of the committee] on this controversial bill,” observed Senator Raja Zafarul Haq. Talking to The Express Tribune, he said, the PML-N has already rejected the report prepared by the commission on creation of new provinces. Further decision either to attend the Senate panel’s meeting or not will be taken by the top leadership of the party next week, he added.

The PML-N, the largest opposition both in Senate and National Assembly, has already rejected PPP’s move to carve new provinces in Punjab by terming it a political stunt as general elections are around the corner.

Three members of the committee, Senators Muzafar Hussain Shah of PML-Functional, Farogh Nasim of MQM and Ahmed Hassan of PPP told The Express Tribune that they could not attend the meeting due to some personal engagements.

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New province debate enters Parliament

Bahawalpur South Punjab: New province debate enters Parliament

ISLAMABAD: 

The government introduced the 24th constitutional amendment bill in the Senate on Friday, seeking bifurcation of Punjab through the creation of a ‘Bahawalpur Janoobi Punjab’ province.

But the move did not sit well with opposition lawmakers from the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), who left the proceedings in a huff. The move also agitated the government’s allies, who have reservations over the bill.

The bill was tabled by Law Minister Farooq H Naek, apparently against the rules of business, as it was not on the day’s agenda.

“I know you are going to cut Punjab into pieces, but at least follow the rules by including it on the agenda,” said PML-N Senator Syed Zafar Ali Shah before staging a walkout from the house.

Be that as it may, the bill has been sent to the bipartisan standing committee, which will debate and send it back within 10 days to put it to vote in the upper house of Parliament. If the government manages to approve the bill in the committee, a final showdown will be on the floor of the House. The government needs 69 ‘ayes’ in the 104-member house.

Without PML-N, which has a sizeable number in the National Assembly, it will be almost impossible for the government to pass any such amendment. Even if it is passed by both the houses of Parliament with a two-thirds majority, the bill will have to be passed by the Punjab Assembly, where the PML-N is the ruling party, before it could be signed into law by the president.

According to election commission figures, the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) has 41 members in the Senate, PML-N has 14, ANP has 12, PML-Q has five, MQM has seven, JUI-F has seven, while National Party and PML-F have one each, while there are 12 independents.

When contacted by The Express Tribune, government allies MQM and PML-Q confirmed that they were ready to support the bill if it was put to vote. On the other hand, ANP and BNP-Awami vowed to oppose the bill. Independent lawmakers, mostly from FATA, are divided over the issue.  In the current scenario, the government could get around 53 ‘ayes’ while it would need another 16 votes either by cajoling dissenting allies or winning over FATA members to secure the required numbers.

Earlier, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate Ishaq Dar also objected to the tabling of the bill, saying the government had not done proper homework before making the move. “This drama is on the basis of a flimsy report of the commission [on new provinces, headed by Senator Farhatullah Babar]. It is not the solution to any problem,” he said. “The commission did not address any important issue, including the distribution of water, assets and debts of the province. These key issues need to be addressed before bringing forth an amendment.”

Chairman Nayyar Bokhari said all these reservations should be discussed at the committee’s meeting and that there was enough time for brainstorming.

Additionally, the chairman referred the bill to the concerned committee for further discussion. He directed the committee to present its report within 10 days.

Other walk outs

Senators belonging to Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (Fazlur Rehman) also walked out of the house, protesting against the enforcement of governor’s rule in Balochistan.

Separately, PPP Senator Raza Rabbani also walked out. He was incensed by the attitude of the Senate Secretariat which did not present the report on missing persons, prepared by the special parliamentary committee.

To this, Chairman Bokhari said he would examine the issue and find out why the report was not presented.

“You should not only examine the issue but also direct the secretariat to present the report immediately. I am walking out of the house against this attitude,” said Senator Rabbani.

Senator Dar said the report had already been tabled in the National Assembly, and said there was no harm in presenting in the upper house. “This is in contempt of the committee and of this august house,” he said.

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New province bill sails through the Senate

Bahawalpur South Punjab: New province bill sails through the Senate

ISLAMABAD: 

The government triumphed in its attempt to pass the new province bill (24th Constitutional Amendment Bill 2013) in the Senate on Wednesday, bringing it one step closer to the creation of a new province in Punjab.

The bill, which must be passed by a two-thirds majority in both houses of Parliament and approved also by Punjab Assembly before the president can sign it into law, smoothly sailed through the upper house – just days before National and the provincial assemblies complete their constitutional terms.

Be that as it may, the victory in the Senate is merely half the battle since the toughest legs for the bill lie ahead with stiff resistance expected in the National Assembly, where the government does not have the required two-thirds majority.  If passed by the National Assembly, the bill will then be tabled in the Punjab Assembly.

It was not all smooth sailing during Wednesday’s proceedings. As expected, members belonging to the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), National Party (NP) and an independent senator from south Punjab, Mohsin Leghari staged walkouts to protest what they called a “political stunt” to lure voters in the upcoming polls.

“It [24th Amendment] is nothing but a political drama for 2013 general elections,” said Senator Ishaq Dar, adding that even though he is leader of the opposition in the Senate he was never approached for consultation on the issue.

Senator Mohsin Leghari argued that there was no constitutional provision for the creation of a new province. “If you want to carve a new province in Punjab then you will have to amend the Constitution first. Article239 only refers to the alteration of any province, which means that boundaries of any province could be altered but no new province can be created,” said Leghari.

PML-Q Senator Mushahid Hussain advised the government to be cautious while making decisions on the creation of a new province. “We should not open a Pandora’s box, whose consequences cannot be controlled later,” said Hussain.

“When you [government] cannot create new provinces then why you are playing politics with innocent people,” said National Party Senator Mir Hasil Khan Bizenjo.

In defence of the bill, Senator Farhatullah Babar, who was also the chairman of the new provinces commission, said the government’s move was a conscious and deliberate political initiative to address the genuine grievances and deprivations of the people of south Punjab.

“It is the right time to decide on a separate province. A decision delayed is not a problem avoided, it is a crisis invited,” said Babar.

The Muttahida Qaumi Movement was the only opposition party which supported the bill while lawmakers from the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid, Awami National Party and Balochistan National Party-Awami cast their votes in favour of the bill tabled by Law Minister Farooq H Naek.

Pakistan Muslim League-Functional and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl were not present during voting when 70 out of the 104 senators cast their vote in favour of the constitutional amendment.

The Defence Housing Authority Islamabad Bill, 2013, which provides for the establishment of a Defense Housing Authority in Islamabad, was also passed in Senate on Wednesday.

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