MUHAMMAD SALEEM

LAHORE: Pakistan Muslim League Functional (PML-F) President Pir Pagara Sibghatullah Rashdi, who also heads the Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA), has expressed solidarity with the demand of the Southern Punjab Province Front (SPPF) for creation of South Punjab province, saying that creation of a separate province would result in uplift of the area.

He said this while addressing a press conference in Lahore along with Makhdoom Khusro Bakhtiar, who recently quit the PML-N with other legislators of South Punjab, here on Thursday.

Earlier, in a meeting with the newly-formed SPPF leaders he discussed the country’s political situation with particular reference to 2018 general elections.

Pir Pagara while talking to Khusro Bakhtiar said he was striving for a grand alliance in Punjab on the pattern of Sindh province. Talking to media, Pir Pagara said: “The demand of separate province is legitimate. If Southern Punjab achieves status of new province, Bahawalpur should be made its headquarters.” He insisted that creation of a new province is legitimate right of inhabitants of southern Punjab.

He also invited all political parties and leaders to join his alliance so that they could contest general elections on one symbol across the country.

Pir Pagara said: “The 2013 elections were fixed and due to their dominance in particular area provinces were divided.”

Speaking on the occasion, former PML-N lawmaker Khusro Bakhtiar claimed that nobody would welcome PML-N and PPP in Southern part of Punjab. “We would approach the people on one point agenda of creation of Southern Punjab,” he said. “We too are demanding respect for our vote.” He said the Punjab Assembly adopted a resolution for separate province but this resolution was dumped.