More Provinces, Less Provincials
Published 10th April 2012 in The Express Tribune (shorter e-paper version here)
More provinces are needed for Pakistan – but for administrative ease, not cheap ethnic ploys.
Glorious Marxism merges seamlessly with glorious Pathan-ism
Demanding the creation of new provinces is in vogue nowadays, creating them not so much. Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani, semi-besieged as he is, still finds the time to throw his ruling People’s Party’s weight behind a new Seraiki province. The PML-Q tells anyone who’ll listen that they joined this coalition on condition of the Seraiki province’s creation. The PML-F, less functional than feudal, made the most endearing case for their Southern Punjab stronghold gaining provincial status: they criticized facilities enjoyed by politicians in Lahore, saying assembly members had to forego their own backward areas for the provincial capital to live ‘a decent life’. Poor them.
