MULTAN City News

Lawyers to launch drive for creation of Seraiki province

From Our Correspondent

MULTAN: The District Bar Association members on Wednesday observed a strike in support of their demands, including elevation of south Punjab lawyers to the superior judiciary as judges and creation of Seraiki province.

The lawyers also held a protest meeting and alleged that the lawyers of south Punjab were getting discriminatory treatment from the authorities. They also announced to launch a drive for the creation of Seraiki province and said that all stakeholders would be consulted in this regard. They also formed a high level committee to contact political parties, sociopolitical and religious forum sand traders during the campaign. The lawyers said that they demand a separate Seraiki province, consists of Seraiki speaking areas. The 18th amendment and provincial autonomy were useless without creation of the Seraiki province”, they added. The protesting lawyers said that two judges from south Punjab, Justice Zafarullah Khan Khakwani and Justice James Joseph, were removed from their office from 53 members bench at the Lahore High Court in March last. That shows discrimination against the south Punjab, they blamed. The lawyers warned continuation of the protest for indefinite period. The DBA also announced to hold a convention of south Punjab bar associations to devise a protest strategy in the region. Addressing the protest gathering, DBA president Azimul Haq Pirzada alleged that the Punjab government was depriving the Seraiki people of their rights. He said that poverty level had been reached at 43.1pc in Seraiki region as compared to central Punjab observed at 27.7pc. Azimul Haq Pirzada said that almost 80 cases decided by the two judges of south Punjab were challenged in the Supreme Court of Pakistan whereas all the appeals were rejected by the Supreme Court. Senior lawyer Syed Irfan Haidar said that provincial autonomy was currently the most important political issue of the country, but its resolution would be useless without creation of a Seraiki province. The government should make a fifth province for the Seraiki people, he demanded. DBA general secretary Imran Khakwani blamed that there was discrimination against minorities in the south Punjab. He alleged that former information minister Muhammad Ali Durrani was demanding restoration of Bahawalpur province at the behest of the establishment to sabotage the demand for a new province and divide Seraiki people on the issue.

He said that a massive campaign would be launched for creating awareness among the people of south Punjab for establishment of the Seraiki province.