ISLAMABAD: The Pakistani government on Friday presented a constitutional amendment bill to the National Assembly speaker that sought the establishment of the South Punjab province, the Pakistani state media reported.
The southern Punjab region comprises three administrative divisions — Multan, Bahawalpur and Dera Ghazi Khan. In total, the region has 11 districts, including Multan, Khanewal, Lodhran, Vehari, Dera Ghazi Khan, Muzaffargarh, Layyah, Rajanpur, Bahawalpur, Rahim Yar Khan and Bahawalnagar.
Over the decades, people of southern Punjab, a relatively impoverished region as compared to districts in north and central Punjab, have complained of being neglected in the division of resources and called for greater autonomy.
Successive governments in Pakistan have supported the idea of the South Punjab province, but none could go ahead with the promise.
On Friday, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, who himself hails from Multan, presented the constitutional amendment bill for the establishment of the South Punjaba province to National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser, the state-run Radio Pakistan reported.
“On the request of the foreign minister, the speaker directed to make the bill part of the agenda of the House on Monday,” the report read.
The establishment of the South Punjab province was part of the election manifesto of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and today, the government fulfilled yet another promise made with the people of South Punjab, the report quoted Qureshi as saying.
The development comes at a time when Prime Minister Imran Khan is facing a no-confidence move by the opposition and appears to be an attempt to ease pressure on him.
Earlier in the day, Speaker Qaiser adjourned a National Assembly session without taking up the no-trust motion after prayers were offered for a lawmaker who had passed away recently. The opposition filed the motion on March 8. The next session is now scheduled for Monday, March 28.
Speaking to media persons later, Qureshi asked opposition parties, including the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), to support the constitutional amendment bill that envisaged the establishment of the South Punjab province.
This was a longstanding demand of the local people and it would further strengthen the federation of Pakistan, he added.
Pakistan government presents bill for establishment of South Punjab province
https://arab.news/nchxb
Pakistan government presents bill for establishment of South Punjab province
- The southern Punjab region comprises three administrative divisions, Multan, Bahawalpur and Dera Ghazi Khan
- Over the decades, South Punjab residents have complained of being neglected and demanded greater autonomy
Pakistan increases Reko Diq investment to $244 million as Barrick reviews project
- State-owned PPL injects $50.2 million more in special purpose vehicle formed to manage Islamabad’s 25 percent stake in copper-gold mine
- Canadian operator Barrick Mining Corporation this month ordered project’s review following deadly separatist attacks in Balochistan province
KARACHI: The state-run Pakistan Petroleum Limited (PPL) has invested an additional Rs14 billion ($50.2 million) equity in the multi-billion-dollar Reko Diq copper-gold mine, the company said in its latest financial report on Thursday, as the project’s Canadian operator reviews the project following recently deadly attacks.
Canada’s Barrick Mining Corporation owns a 50 percent share in Reko Diq in the southwestern Balochistan province, along with three Pakistani federal state-owned enterprises including PPL that own 25 percent, while the Balochistan government has the remaining 25 percent share in the project.
The Canadian company announced earlier this month it planned to “immediately” begin a comprehensive review of all aspects of the Reko Diq project following coordinated attacks in Balochistan on Jan. 30-31 that killed 36 civilians and 22 security forces personnel.
“With respect to the Reko Diq project, the company has made further equity investment in Pakistan Minerals Private Limited (PMPL) during the period amounting to Rs14,025 million ($50.2m),” PPL told its shareholders in its financial statement for the half year ending at Dec. 31.
The additional equity has increased PPL’s total cost of investment in the PMPL to Rs68.1 billion ($243.6 million), it added.
The PMPL is a special purpose vehicle formed to manage the federal government’s 25 percent stake in the Reko Diq project. It is a consortium of three state-owned enterprises (SOEs) namely the PPL, the Oil & Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL) and Government Holdings (Private) Limited (GHPL) which is responsible for handling financing, equity contributions and strategic, legal or technical dealings with partners like Barrick.
“The project continued to advance site works during the period (July-December FY26),” the PPL said. “The operator (Barrick) is undertaking a review of all aspects of the project, including with respect to the project’s security arrangements, development timetable and capital budget.”
This week, Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti assured investors that Pakistan has the “capacity and capability” to secure the Reko Diq project amid surging militancy.
The PPL explores, drills, and produces oil and natural gas. Its current portfolio, together with its subsidiaries and associates, consists of 47 exploratory blocks that include one offshore Block-5 in Abu Dhabi and one onshore block in Yemen.
In December, PPL signed a strategic Deed of Assignment under which it assigned 25 percent of its participating interest (PI) and operatorship of Eastern Offshore Indus C block to Turkish Petroleum Overseas Company, a unit of state-owned Türkiye Petrolleri Anonim Ortaklığı.
Assigning 20 percent PI each to OGDCL and Mari Energies Limited, the company has retained the remaining 35 percent PI to play a key role in the block’s development.
