PPP lawmaker calls for separate South Punjab province in Senate

ISLAMABAD: As senators from the treasury and opposition traded accusations during Wednesday’s budget debate in the Senate, PPP Senator Rana Mahmoodul Hassan demanded a separate South Punjab province. “Seven million children are born in Pakistan annually, more than in all of Europe. What are we doing for their employment?” he asked during the budget debate in the House. The senator noted that when a province becomes too large, bifurcation becomes necessary. “We will not stay with ‘Takht-i-Lahore’. We want our province. We want separation from Punjab,” he said. He noted that Multan was historically the capital, and that Bahawalpur supported Pakistan at the time of its creation by paying salaries. He also demanded an industrial zone, a high court, and a separate share in the National Finance Commission (NFC) award for South Punjab, along with agricultural and IT universities. “Bilawal told us to fight for our province. Why is Seraikistan not being made a province?” he asked. Separately, an independent senator from Balochistan claimed that independent power producers (IPPs) were behind the reversal of the government’s solar policy. Senator Abdul Qadir said the government has to pay Rs1.8 trillion in capacity charges. He described IPPs as a “mafia that bulldozes every government” and challenged the government to conduct a forensic audit of IPP agreements. “Because of electricity, both the poor and the rich are suffering,” he said, adding that IPPs had even succeeded in getting the government’s approved solar policy reversed. PML-N Senator Abid Sher Ali said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif took charge when Pakistan faced the risk of being placed on the FATF grey list and a Sri Lanka-like situation. He said the premier “saved the sinking boat” and ensured stability and peace. He also criticised the PTI government’s economic team for changing four finance ministers in two and a half years and appointing Nadeem Babar — “who himself was an IPP owner” — as energy adviser. Ali ac