Why not other provinces too…and finally the federation of Pakistan . Once again PTI government has started playing the orchestra of a new province of South Punjab which will be carved out within Punjab by dividing it into two pieces. PPP which considers Sindh as Dharti Maan which can not be cut into two has no objection in slashing a part of Punjab which is Dharti Maan of 12 crore Punjabis . Punjab based PMl N and PML Q are also on the same page with PTI and PPP . The demand for a separate province is a pure lingual demand in the guise of administrative reasons to benefit the already ruling elite of so called Saraiki wasaib . After the completion of motorways the excuse of long distances no longer exists . As for the meager allocation of funds for the southern part of Punjab, it is the responsibility of the present government whose head belongs to the so -called Saraiki Wasaib to satisfy the people of his region .
Now we examine the lingual factor behind the demand for a separate province , which is much trumpeted in social media but less voiced in print media. Sindh accommodates a considerable ratio of Urdu and ( socalled ) Saraiki speaking population besides Sindhi which is the native language of Sindh . KPK boasts of two major languages Pashto and Hindko and innumerable small languages on it’s soil .. Balochitan has passed a language bill aiming at the teaching of six languages including Punjhabi in the province.
BUT Punjab is the only monolingual and mono cultural federating unit of Pakistan and there is no justification to divide it into two or more provinces on lingual basis or under any pretext ..70 years past it’s division on religious grounds for creation of a separate state for Muslims ensued the biggest holocaust in history . We Punjabi can not afford one more bloody line within Punjab. If Punjab is broken , fragmented or divided , the story will not end here , there would be much more left to be broken , fragmented and divided.
Tariq Mahmud
Lahore
