MRBP reject inclusion of Bahawalpur in proposed south Punjab province

BAHAWALPUR: Leaders of the Movement for Restoration of Bahawalpur Province (MRBP) has rejected the idea to induct Bahawalpur region in the proposed new south Punjab province.

Addressing a news conference here, leaders of the Movement for Restoration of Bahawalpur Province, including Ajmal Malik, Allama Shafqatur Rehman, Nazir Sonchi, Muhammad Nazar Hussain Kamboh, Jam Muhammad Irshad, Akram Ansari, Raja Shafqat Mahmood, Nawaz Naji, Maj (retd) Shabbir, Imran Lodhi and Abdul Qadeer Qureshi, said: “We reject the idea furnished by the leaders of the recently-formed South Punjab Province Front.”

They said that Bahawalpur was a princely state that was inducted in newly-created Pakistan by the then rulers of Bahawalpur. “There was an agreement inked between Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah and the then Nawab of Bahawalpur that Bahawalpur would enjoy the status of a province in the new country,” they said. They said that suggestion was furnished by certain quarters to demarcate new province from Mianwali to Sargodha inducting Multan, Dera Ghazi Khan and Bahawalpur divisions in the name of south Punjab province.

“We are not opposing demarcation of new province, but we want restoration of Bahawalpur province,” they said. They said that restoration of Bahawalpur province and formation of new provinces would strengthen the federation. They said that the assemblies had already adopted resolutions in support of demand for restoration of Bahawalpur province. They urged the government and all stakeholders to ensure restoration of Bahawalpur province.