MULTAN: Political workers, journalists and civil society activists have demanded the government name the new province Seraiki or Panjnad whereas the name of south Punjab province would not be acceptable at any cost.
The demand was made in a joint meeting of Seraiki Democratic Alliance held here on Monday. It asked the Seraiki nationalist parties to adopt the Seraiki Declaration which was developed after the two days national conference on ‘Deconstructing the Understanding of Seraiki Wasaib’.
Speaking at the meeting, Seraiki Democratic Alliance convener Sarwar Bari said the south Punjab province name does not interpret the sentiments of people of this remote region. The division of Punjab is inevitable to balance the Federation. He said it was unanimously consented in the declaration that Seraiki language and culture was distinctively different from other regions of Pakistan. “Moreover, the Seraiki people have inhabited the Seraiki Wasaib for centuries. The region has not only a rich history but it also contributes economically,” he claimed.
Bari said despite producing some of the most powerful rulers, the Seraiki Wasaib people were considered to be one of the most deprived and marginalised segment of the country. “The Seraiki people are proud of their history, Sufi culture and language.”
He said platforms must be created to initiate dialogue amongst different ethnicities living in Seraiki region to create democratic harmony in their thinking and actions. He said they fully support infrastructural development in the Seraiki Wasaib. “We urge the authorities to stop land grabbing in the name of corporate farming and development in the Seraiki belt. Conducive environment should be created for industrialisation of this region to bridge gap between various regions of Pakistan and address problems of poverty and unemployment,” he said.
He said domestic violence and honour killing was prevalent all over the country but the women of Seraiki Wasaib experience worst form of subjugation and this must be addressed on priority basis. The best way forward is to re-initiate the aborted constitutional process for the creation of Seraiki province in light of the resolution passed by the Punjab Assembly, he said. A large numbers of journalists, civil society activists and political workers participated in the meeting. They endorsed the name of Punjnad for new province with consensus.
