PPP senator renews demand for separate South Punjab province in Senate

ISLAMABAD: The Senate’s budget debate on Wednesday saw sharp exchanges between treasury and opposition lawmakers, with PPP Senator Rana Mahmoodul Hassan using the session to press for the creation of a separate province in South Punjab.

During his speech, Hassan linked the issue to governance and population pressures, saying Pakistan was facing a growing challenge in providing jobs to its rising population. He argued that when a province becomes too large, division becomes necessary, and said South Punjab should no longer remain tied to what he called Takht-i-Lahore.

Attributing the demand to his party’s position, the senator said Multan had historically served as a capital, while Bahawalpur had backed Pakistan at the time of independence by paying salaries. He also called for an industrial zone, a high court, a separate share for South Punjab in the National Finance Commission award, and the establishment of agricultural and IT universities in the region.

Speaking in the House, Hassan said:

“We will not stay with ‘Takht-i-Lahore’. We want our province. We want separation from Punjab,”

He also said:

“Bilawal told us to fight for our province. Why is Seraikistan not being made a province?”

Power policy and IPP criticism

Separately, independent Senator Abdul Qadir from Balochistan alleged that independent power producers were behind the reversal of the government’s solar policy. He said the government had to pay Rs1.8 trillion in capacity charges and challenged it to carry out a forensic audit of agreements signed with IPPs.

Qadir described IPPs in harsh terms and said the burden of electricity costs was affecting all sections of society. He told the Senate:

“Because of electricity, both the poor and the rich are suffering,”

The senator also referred to IPPs as a:

“mafia that bulldozes every government”

PML-N senators target PTI record

PML-N Senator Abid Sher Ali said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had assumed office when Pakistan was at risk of landing on the FATF grey list and facing a Sri Lanka-like crisis. He credited the premier with stabilising the country and maintaining peace, and said he had:

“saved the sinking boat”

Ali also criticised the PTI government’s economic management, saying it had changed four finance ministers in two and a half years. He further said Nadeem Babar, whom he identified as an IPP owner, had been appointed as energy adviser. He additionally accused the PTI of making a deal on Kashmir, releasing Indian Air Force pilot Abhinandan, and turning Khyber Pakhtunkhwa into what he called a haven for terrorism.

Another PML-N senator, Agha Shahzeb Durrani, alleged that PTI had begun work on Pakistan’s denuclearisation. He also claimed that corrupt FBR officers had been posted to important positions during the PTI period and said the present government had removed them. Durrani further stated that the PML-N government had handled the petrol crisis effectively and had launched work to double the Karachi-Quetta highway.

Earlier debate over new provinces

The demand for a separate province in the south of Punjab has surfaced repeatedly in recent months. In May, Punjab Assembly proceedings descended into disorder when PPP lawmaker Mumtaz Chang threatened to push for a separate Seraiki province and form an independent government if the grievances of his constituency continued to be ignored.

Earlier, in February, MQM-P Inter-Provincial Coordination Committee in-charge Zahid Malik accused the PPP of maintaining double standards on the question of new provinces, asking why it backed the idea in South Punjab but took a different position when the issue related to Sindh and Karachi.