MMA MPA announces movement for separate province

PESHAWAR: A member of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly on Wednesday announced on the assembly floor to launch a movement for a separate province for southern districts of the province as he believed these districts had been neglected in developmental projects by the past governments.

Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal MPA from Lakki Marwat Munawwar Khan, while speaking on a cut motion during the budget session, said the chief ministers of the past governments had focused on their respective districts and constituencies while sanctioning the development schemes.

“I have no other option but to announce movement for a separate province for the most underdeveloped southern districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,” said Munawwar Khan, who was recently elected to the provincial assembly for the third consecutive time on the ticket of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F).

He said the ANP-led government had approved a degree college for his constituency in Lakki Marwat in 2011, but the college building had not been completed due to non-allocation of funds.

Referring to Ameer Haider Hoti and Pervez Khattak, the JUI-F MPA said the previous governments had allocated huge development funds for Mardan and Nowshera districts to which they belonged while the southern districts were neglected.

The MPA, who is a lawyer, raised the issue of a separate province when the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly offered prayers and fateha for the departed soul of Sardar Haider Zaman, commonly known as Baba Haider Zaman, who passed away on Wednesday.