PESHAWAR - Strongly opposing the creation of new provinces on ethnic and linguistic basis, Tehreek-e-Istiqlal President Rehmat Khan Wardak said on Tuesday that new provinces should be established on administrative grounds.
Speaking at ‘Mulaqat’ programme of Khyber Union of Journalists (KhUJ), he said that there was a dire need for creating new provinces on administrative basis. Referring to tabling of the resolution in the Parliament regarding the creation of Seraiki province in southern Punjab, he said it was actually an attempt to divert people’s attention from their genuine issues.
Besides others, KhUJ’s President Arshad Aziz Malik, and General Secretary Ali Hazrat Bcha were also present on the occasion. Wardak said that creation of new provinces would be more viable and more autonomous in making decisions.
On this occasion, he suggested that there should be 19 new provinces, but they should be created on administrative basis. Giving autonomy to provinces is a need of the hour, as it would minimise burden over central government, he stated.
He said that there should be eight provinces in Punjab, five in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa while three each in Baluchistan and Sindh as his party was always in favour of new provinces in the country to get rid of economic and social degradation. Tehreek-e-Istiqlal President Rehmat Khan Wardak strongly criticized the present rulers for ignoring real issues confronted by the people of Pakistan. He said that the situation is going from bad to worse in the country, but no serious steps were being taken to address the major problems. He asked the government to cut its’ lavishly expenditures and take steps to provide relief to the poor masses.
The PPP-led coalition, he said, had failed to address the key issues-like energy crisis, lawlessness, price hike and unemployment during the last four and half years of its rule. Instead of resolving people problems, government actually responsible for the growing political turmoil and current economic decay in the country, he said.
He observed that poor monetary policies brought the country on the verge of bankruptcy. There was a lack of viable strategy to pull the country out the prevailing messy situation, he added. He said that the political stability and development could not be possible under the existing predominated feudal system in the country.
“It is need of the hour to construct Kalabagh, Munda, Akuri and Basha Dams, so that to cope with the growing energy crisis and fulfill the water needs for irrigation purposes as well” he remarked.
After the construction of these mega projects, he said would also help to provide more employments and operate industrial sector. He also called for completion of such projects, which according to him would usher in progress and development in Pakistan, he concluded.
Meanwhile, PTI KPK’s steering committee, has asked all the regional steering committees to nominate a neutral and impartial convener for all the districts of the province before June 3. A meeting of the provincial steering committee and regional conveners was held here at PTI provincial secretariat in Peshawar on Tuesday. The meeting was chaired by convener of the provincial steering committee Rustam Shah while regional conveners Saleem Jan Khan (Peshawar), Brig(r) Talat Imtiaz Naqvi (South region), Sher Shah Khan (Malakand) , political adviser to Imran Khan Shaukat Ali Yousafzai and provincial secretary information Shah Farman also attended the meeting.
PTI provincial leader Shah Farman said that in the meeting party leaders took an advance review of the ongoing membership campaign in the whole province. And it was also decided that provincial steering committee along with the regional conveners will visit all the districts after June 3.