LAHORE: The Pakistan Tehreek-iInsaf (PTI) has called upon President Asif Ali Zardari to reiterate his pronouncement about the creation of south Punjab province only if the PPP is serious on the subject and not doing a political gimmick.

`If President Zardari had spoken about the creation of south Punjab province seriously instead of a political gimmick, the PPP should engage the PTI and part ways with the PML-N,` says PTI Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi, who is currently incarcerated in the Kot Lakhpat Jail.

In a hand-written letter sent to this reporter on Wednesday, Mr Qureshi stated the creation of south Punjab province was part of the PTI manifesto announced in 2018. He said no other political party had so far made a manifesto commitment to the people. The PPP had spoken about it but not included it in its manifesto, he added.

Explaining the administrative and economic rationale behind the creation of a separate province, Mr Qureshi stated that south Punjab comprising three divisions Multan, Bahawalpurand Dera Ghazi Khan -had a larger population than Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Similarly, he said the Punjab province was bigger than most European countries and added that the Indian Punjab was divided into three states Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh.

E conomically, he said, a separate province would be viable and geographically contiguous.

Beginning the process in line with its manifesto, he said the PTI government had created a south Punjab secretariat in Multan and Bahawalpur and was due to meet its commitment in 2023.

He said the PTI government had announced a separate ADP for south Punjab, having funds according to its population, and ring-fenced it so that money could not be diverted out of the south Punjab projects. The incumbent PML-N government has withheld money allocated for south Punjab, Mr Qureshi claimed.

He regretted that even resources allocated in the budget were re-appropriated over the first year from slow-moving to fast-moving projects and added that even the budgeted fund was not spent and diverted to projects out of south Punjab.

The PTI leader said the rules of business were amended to devolve power andspecial secretaries as well as additional secretaries for all departments were placed in Multan and Bahawalpur. He said a post of Additional Chief Secretary South Punjab was created and the incumbent Punjab chief secretary served as the first ACS south Punjab.

Asserting that the creation of the new province will strengthen the federation, Mr Qureshi said Punjab otherwise on its own could out vote the other three federating units.

The incarcerated PTI leader also stated that the NFC share was not being fairly distributed as Southern districts were deprived of a fair share and it largely remained under-developed, facing higher levels of poverty and showing poor social indicators compared to northern Punjab.

The former foreign minister said south Punjab had also remained underrepresented in the civil service and acknowledged that Sindh had created a rural quota for representation of backward areas of Sindh.

YASMIN: In a separate hand-written statement sent on Wednesday, incarcerated PTI Punjab President Dr Yasmin Rashid stated the Form-47 government had a golden opportunity to rectify it`s wrongs done by forming the JudicialCommission and let the truth come out.

Reacting to the government`s inability to form a Judicial Commission, she asked, `Are the incumbent rulers scared that once the truth comes out their narrative will be finished?, She said the people of Pakistan already knew everything and the incumbent rulers could not trick a vibrant and intelligent nation as they proved by votingforPTIonFeb8,2024.

`We know we all are innocent and that is why we are ready to face the Judicial Commission,` she said.

The PTI leader said the people of Pakistan wanted to know the exact truth about what happened on May 9, 2023, and who orchestrated the whole debacle? `History will never forgive, if you will not let the truth come out,` she warned the rulers.

Referring to the non-compliance of the Production Orders of Senator Ejaz Chaudhry, she said it explained that this weak puppet government could not move without the consent of the Deep State.

Dr Rashid stated that the will of the people had been sacrificed at the altar of power as the incumbent rulers decided just to hold onto the chairs, which had been offered to them.