According to proposals made available to Business Recorder and submitted to the Parliamentary Commission, it was also recommended that the Punjab Assembly should be divided informally into Punjab and Seraiki region. The members from the Seraiki region in Punjab Assembly should prepare budget proposals for Seraiki region separately and there should be separate allocation of funds for Seraiki area according to population, area and its contribution to the GDP.
Similarly, federation should make a separate financial contribution in the budget and from the NFC award share for Seraiki province. According to sources, as many as three experts, Barrister Taj Mohammad Khan Langah, Malik Thair Mohammad Budh and Rafih Rahmani briefed the Commission and submitted their proposals about the creation of new provinces in Punjab. The Parliamentary Commission on Creation of new provinces in Punjab met with PPP Senator Farhatullah Babar in the chair at Parliament House on Monday.
According to proposals, if it is impossible for any rational course of arguments to create a province immediately, then the Punjab Assembly should be divided on semi-permanent basis into two houses for legislation and allocation of development funds. This is exactly what was done in India where groups were allotted separate functions within the same house, till the finalisation of other issues pertaining to division of a province.
About the Natural Resources of future Seraiki province, it was stated in the proposals that the present resources of Punjab are that of Seraiki region on which the upper Punjab thrives. They boast 60 percent of national wealth of the country and population. The figures are: Eighty percent of 15 million, including bales of cotton of the country, which is source of foreign exchange that is about 8 billion dollars per year, produced by the Seraiki area.
About 15 million tons of the wheat, 70 percent of orchids about two million cattle, thermal power in Muzafargarh, equals that of Tarbella for which no royalty is given to the Seraiki area. There is gas, uranium, iron, copper, salt and dozens of other mines in Seraiki area. According to the constitution the royalty of natural resources goes to provinces and our entire wealth is consumed by central Punjab.
In short, we are pleased about the state of development in Upper Punjab in the field of education, industry, commerce, elite professions and various other fields. We only wish to attain the same status which cannot be achieved without having our resources at our command.
After the meeting, Chairman of the Commission Senator Farhatullah Babar told the media that the experts submitted their proposals for creation of new provinces South (Janobi) Punjab and Bahawalpur province. He said that the Commission discussed the issues relating to resources and economic matters and water distribution for new provinces. He said that copies of proposals would be submitted to the secretariat of the Commission. He said that the Commission would consider the proposals by remaining in limits of the resolutions passed by the Punjab Assembly, National Assembly and letter of President Asif Ali Zardari.