‘Two Punjab culture days conspiracy to divide province’

Lahore : How can two culture days of Punjab be observed at the state level when one culture day is observed for Sindh, Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, questioned Punjabi National Movement (PNM) President Ammar Punjabi in a press conference held here Saturday.

PNM along with Punjab Lok Lehar, Punjabi Language Movement, Punjab Sewak Sanjh and Chach Adbi Parwar Jhang view this as a conspiracy to divide the province.

“The press conference was called after a government sponsored an ad appeared in a newspaper for Seraiki Culture Day in Multan,” they said. Recently, a Seraiki Lok Virsa Mela was held in Multan while the government sponsored Punjab Culture Day is being observed today (Sunday).

Ammar Punjabi said, “By this logic they should observe Mohajir Culture Day in Karachi but there is no need for that. They have been living in Sindh for more than 70 years,” he said. “Likewise, the people of South Punjab are Punjabis. There are 34 dialects of Punjabi. Seraiki is a mix of three Punjabi dialects – Multani, Derawali and Riasati (in Bahawalpur). Seraiki Tehreek is being backed 90 per cent by Balochs. They are trying to change the demography of the province,” he said.

Ammar Punjabi termed the call for division of the province unconstitutional and unlawful. He and other members of the Punjab Bachao Tehreek (Save Punjab Tehreek) see it as a conspiracy to divide the province on the basis of language. Punjab Bachao Tehreek demanded Punjab Culture Day be celebrated on the 1st of Baisakh and an end to two party system. “Please don’t divide our motherland,” they said.