Islamabad, August 4(ANI): Senior Pakistan Muslim League-N leader Makhdoom Javed Hashmi has called on his party leadership to divide Pakistan's Punjab into four provinces.
At a debate on the Karachi situation in the National Assembly, he rebutted Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif's statement that the demand for the creation of new provinces was a 'gimmick' by the Pakistan Government to hide its alleged corruption.
"I have great respect for Shahbaz Sharif, but I do not agree with his statement in which he linked the demand for new provinces to the government's corruption," the Dawn quoted Hashmi, as saying.
Referring to the proposal to divide Punjab into four provinces, Shahbaz had earlier said it was the government's habit to come up with new gimmicks whenever it was criticised for its corruption and lack of accountability.
Hashmi said "creation of three to four new provinces" in Punjab was the need of the hour due to increasing population.
Though he did not elaborate geographical locations of the new provinces, it is believed that he was referring to the ongoing debate in media and political circles that Punjab should be divided into South Punjab, Bahawalpur, Central Punjab and Potohar provinces.
Hashmi had earlier proposed to split the four provinces into 16 to ensure good administration.
His proposal of four provinces is expected to cause unease in the PML-N party, which has already constituted a committee on the issue as it feared political isolation when almost all major and small parties in Pakistan are openly supporting the calls for new provinces.
Hashmi said the process should not be delayed until the next assembly "lest you find the country's map changed". (ANI)
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