Punjab to control Senate after creation of two provinces

ISLAMABAD: The Senate -- the symbol of Federation -- will be dominated and controlled by the Punjab if two federating units are carved out of it as per a constitutional amendment moved by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) in the National Assembly.

Considering the policies of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), the PML-N’s proposed legislation, aimed at having Bahawalpur and south Punjab as new provinces, has bleak prospects of passage in Parliament.

Not only in the central legislature but also in the Punjab, two-thirds majority will be required to approve this amendment. If the PTI and PML-N do not join hands in the provincial assembly, the constitutional amendment can’t become a reality. Similarly, they have to join hands for its approval in the two parliamentary chambers.

Under the Constitution, all the provinces have equal representation in the Senate so that the federating units, regardless of their size in area or population, have the uniform weight in the Upper House of Parliament and have a forum where they speak for the rights of their regions.

In case the present constitutional amendment is sails through Parliament, Pakistan will obviously have six provinces. In the Senate, the three provinces--(remaining) Punjab, Bahawalpur and south Punjab--will have representation equal to the rest of Pakistan.

As a result, the principle of parity in the Upper House will evaporate into thin air, making the Federation topsy-turvy. In reality, the balance of provinces in Senate has been a “great bulwark” against hegemony of the big brother, Punjab.

In the case of Bahawalpur and Janubi Punjab being the new provinces, the PML-N, on the basis of the present party position, will have majority in Punjab (at Lahore), and PML-N and PPP will have government in Bahawalpur while the PTI will rule Janubi Punjab.

However, Parliament can provide that the amendment will become effective in the next general elections or after a certain period of time. The PML-N has 104 such seats in the current Punjab Assembly from Lahore, Gujranwala, Faisalabad, Rawalpindi, Sargodha and Sahiwal.

In current Bahawalpur division, the PML-N has 13 MPAs, the PTI has 12 provincial lawmakers; the PPP has 4 legislators and PML-Q 2 MPAs. In the proposed Janubi province, the PML-N has 17 MPAs, PTI 43 members and PPP one lawmaker while there are two independent legislators.

There is not a single agriculture or engineering university in the two proposed provinces. A new formula of resource distribution among provinces will be required in the wake of creation of more federating units.

A tweet said calling it “Janubi Punjab” would be a mistake, like it was a mistake to call Pakhtunkhwa NWFP. These are real people in that part of the country. They have their own language, culture and civilisation, distinct from Punjab. Why naming it in reference to Punjab? Why not Siraiki Suba [province]?

Response to it came from a person who hails from that area. He posted that Saraikistan will be an appropriate name for the new province to be created in present day Janubi Punjab. Another tweet asked the PML-N to correct a mistake noted in its bill: the Multan division was divided sometime back and districts of Sahiwal and Pakpattan were excluded from it. Pakpattan and parts of Sahiwal are Seraiki dominated areas, and are geographically and demographically connected with Multan.