PML-N bill demands two more provinces in Punjab
 

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) on Monday submitted a constitutional amendment bill in the National Assembly for the creation of Bahawalpur and South Punjab provinces.The bill was submitted to the secretary National Assembly, which had the signatures of PML-N MNAs Ahsan Iqbal, Rana Tanveer Hussain and Rana Sanaullah.“If the government is serious in making Bahawalpur and South Punjab provinces, the PML-N will support them unconditionally,” party leader Ahsan Iqbal said during a news conference along with former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and Marriyum Aurangzeb.The PML-N lawmaker said he was fearful that the Pakistan Tekreen-e-Insaf (PTI) government would take a U-turn on the formation of new provinces.According to the bill, the province of Bahawalpur will comprise the existing administrative division of Bahawalpur. The South Punjab province will comprise existing administrative divisions of Dera Ghazi Khan and Multan. After the formation of the new provinces, these divisions would be excluded from Punjab.Total National Assembly seats for Bahawalpur province would be 18 (15 general and three women), while South Punjab would have 38 (31 general and seven women) seats. Further, if the bill is passed, Bahawalpur province will have 39 provincial assembly seats and South Punjab 80.Under the bill, Balochistan will have 20 National Assembly seats, including 16 general and four women seats, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will have 55 National Assembly seats, including 45 general and 10 women seats, Punjab will have a 117 seats, including 95 general and 22 women seats, Sindh will have 75 seats, including 61 general and 14 women seats and the federal capital will have a three general seats in the National Assembly.After the amendment, the total number of seats in the NA would rise to 326, out of which 266 will be general seats, while 60 will be women-specific seats.The amendment also calls for relevant changes to be made in Article 59 of the Constitution. Through the amendment, the PML-N suggested that in clause (1):- (a) for the words “ninety-six” the words “one hundred and forty-two” shall be substituted;(b) In paragraph (f) for the word “four” the word “six” shall be substituted,(2) In clause (3) in a paragraph for the words “two’ occurring twice, the word “three” shall be substituted,(3) After clause (3A), the following new clauses (3B) and (3C) shall be inserted, namely:-“(3B) Notwithstanding the provisions of clause (3) or any other law for the time being in force, of the members elected by the provincial assemblies of the new provinces of Bahawalpur and Janubi Punjab,Under paragraph (a) seven will retire in March 2018 and seven in March 2021:(under paragraph (d) two will retire in March, 2018 and two will retire in March 2021,(c) Under paragraph (e) two will retire in March 2018 and two in March 2021(d) under paragraph (f) one will retire in March 2018 and one will in March 2021, and thereafter this clause shall stand omitted.(3C) notwithstanding the provisions of clauses (1) and (3) or any other law for the time being in force, members elected from the provinces of Punjab prior to the creation of the provinces of Bahawalpur and Janubi Punjab shall complete their respective terms of office and thereafter this clause shall be omitted.Through the amendment in article 106 of the Constitution, the PML suggested the amendment in the provincial seats of the provinces and suggested through their constitutional amendment that provincial assembly of Bahawalpur will comprise of 39 members that includes 31 general seats, seven women seats and one non-Muslim, the provincial assembly of Balochistan will comprise of 65 members (51 general, 11 women and 3 non-Muslims), provincial assembly of Janubi Punjab will comprise of 80 members (64 general, 14 women and two non-Muslims), the provincial assembly of KP will comprise of 145 members (115 general, 26 women and four non-Muslims), provincial assembly of Punjab will comprise of 252 members (201 general, 45 women and 5 non-Muslims) and provincial assembly of Sindh will comprise of 168 members (130 general, 29 women and nine non-Muslims).(b) After clause (1) amended as aforesaid, the following clauses (1A) shall be inserted namely:(1A) Notwithstanding anything contained in clause (1) or any other law for the time being in force, members of the provincial assembly of Punjab elected in general selections, 2018 on reserved seats for women and non-Muslims shall continue till dissolution of the provincial assembly and thereafter the clause, including the proviso, shall be omitted: Provided that women or a non-Muslim member elected on a reserved seats to the provincial assembly of the Punjab having a domicile in Bahawalpur or Janubi Punjab may opt to be a member of the provincial assembly of that provinces.The bill also calls for an amendment to Article 154 of the Constitution through which a National Commission for the Creation of New Provinces should be constituted to deal with the area and other such specifications of the new provinces.The amendment also proposes that as and when new province or territories are included in the territories comprising Pakistan under Article 1, the Council shall determine, within three months, the apportionment, distribution, adjustments, allocation and transfer among the federal government and provincial governments of the existing and new provinces or territories, of (a) water and other natural resources, (b) present employees and future job quotas in the civil bureaucracy, (c) physical, monetary and other assets and liabilities and the rights and (d) other ancillary matters.(b) The determination under clauses (1) shall be on recommendations of a National Commission for new provinces comprising eminent and reputable technical, financial, legal and other experts to be constituted by the speaker National Assembly in consultation with the Chairman Senate and the leaders of the House and Leaders of Opposition, for this purpose and for consideration on proposals for new provinces referred to it by the resolutions of both the houses.The bill also says that Article 175(a) of the Constitution should be amended to create principal seats of the Supreme Court and the high court in the new provinces.The bill pointed out that on May 9, 2012 the Punjab Assembly had already approved the creation of these provinces. The bill also said that the people of these areas have been seeking the creation of these new provinces for a very long time and have been working towards this demand.http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/com/cwEr/~4/61Sa1nXUDEc

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