Bodies formed to seek support for Hazara province

MANSEHRA: Tehreek-i-Sooba Hazara (TSH) has formed two separate committees to persuade parliamentary parties in the National Assembly and Senate to play their role in creating a separate province for the Hazara division.

“More federating units are the need of the hour. And to pass resolutions for the Hazara province in the National Assembly and Senate we will hold consultative meetings with parliamentary leaders of mainstream political parties in the country,” Sardar Mohammad Yousuf, the chairman of Tehreek, told reporters here on Sunday.

He said that a series of internal meetings had been held within the Tehreek since November 2 this year, culminating in a recent session in the federal capital of Islamabad, where two separate committees were notified.

“The national-level committee will take up the Hazara province resolutions already submitted in the National Assembly and Senate with Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, Pakistan People’s Party, and other parties before tabling them for a vote,” said Yousuf.

He added that another committee would engage lawmakers from across the Hazara division to advocate for their cause.“We are also planning to open the Tehreek’s secretariat in Islamabad to energise our efforts for the Hazara province,” said Yousuf.

The TSH leader said the demand for Hazara province was just and based on administrative considerations.“We have demanded a separate province on an administrative basis, not on linguistic or ethnic lines,” he added.

Yousuf, who is a Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz MNA and a former federal minister for Religious Affairs, emphasised political parties must take the issue of creating more federating units seriously.