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
Bangladesh approves new rice imports from Pakistan amid price pressures
- The deal follows Bangladesh’s resumption of direct rice trade with Pakistan earlier this year for the first time since independence in 1971
- Diplomatic ties between the two nations have improved since the ouster of prime minister Sheikh Hasina after mass protests last year
DHAKA: Bangladesh has approved the import of 50,000 metric tons of white rice from Pakistan under a government-to-government deal as part of efforts to stabilize domestic prices, officials said on Tuesday.
The Cabinet Committee on Government Purchase cleared the deal at $395 per ton, reinforcing Dhaka’s renewed trade engagement with Islamabad.
Rice prices in Bangladesh have jumped by between 15 percent and 20 percent over the past year, with medium-quality rice selling at about 80 taka ($0.66) per kilogram. Despite increased imports and the removal of duties to ease supply constraints, prices for the staple grain remain stubbornly high.
The deal follows Bangladesh’s resumption of direct rice trade with Pakistan earlier this year for the first time since independence in 1971. In February, it imported 50,000 tons of rice from Pakistan at $499 per ton under a similar agreement.
Diplomatic ties between the two South Asian nations have improved since an interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus took office after mass protests forced then prime minister Sheikh Hasina to flee to neighboring India last year.
Formerly East Pakistan, Bangladesh gained independence after a nine-month war in 1971, and relations with Pakistan have remained fraught in the decades since the conflict.
Separately, the government approved another 50,000 tons of parboiled rice through an international tender, part of a series of recent purchases aimed at cooling local prices. India’s Pattabhi Agro Foods secured the contract with the lowest bid of $355.77 per ton.
