LAHORE, June 1: Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has opposed the composition of the National Commission proposed by President Asif Ali Zardari in his reference to the National Assembly speaker for carving out two provinces — Bahawalpur and Multan — from Punjab.

Talking to a delegation of journalists from Sindh at his tent office at Minar-i-Pakistan here on Friday, he said a national commission comprising genuine representatives of the masses should be formed and those should be given representation on the commission whose elders had sacrificed their lives and properties for Pakistan.

He said these people should decide whether there was a need to set up new provinces.

The presidential reference suggests taking six members each from the Senate and the National Assembly and two from the Punjab Assembly for the commission.Shahbaz said there was no need even to form a commission for reviving Bahawalpur as a province, arguing it was a complete province till the establishment of One Unit and had its own provincial assembly.

He said a great disservice was done to Bahawalpur by not restoring its status of the province after the dissolution of One Unit.

He said the Punjab Assembly had passed a unanimous resolution in this regard, while the PML-N also wanted the federation to give the status of provinces to Hazara and FATA as well.

He said the new provinces should be created not on a linguistic basis but on administrative, geographical and valid political grounds.

He alleged Zardari wanted to sow the seed of dissension in Punjab, and it was his (Zardari’s) desire to separate the southern part of Punjab from the province, but this “conspiracy” was foiled through approval of a resolution in the provincial assembly.

He said he had never demanded making Karachi a province and there was a mischief behind this proposal which he exposed and now a conspiracy for the division of Sindh had come to the fore. He said there was no room for the creation of a new province in Sindh, and there was no secret as to who was behind the wall-chalking in Karachi.

He disclosed that the wheat worth millions of rupees which was gifted to Sindh province by the PML-N government in Punjab was changed into loan during the Governor’s Rule but immediately after his reinstatement as the chief minister he again declared it a gift for the people of Sindh.

He said Punjab did a great service to the other federating units by sacrificing Rs11 billion from its share in the 7th National Finance Commission Award as he believed that the people of all provinces should share each others’ joys and sufferings.

LAHORE, June 1: Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has opposed the composition of the National Commission proposed by President Asif Ali Zardari in his reference to the National Assembly speaker for carving out two provinces — Bahawalpur and Multan — from Punjab. Talking to a delegation of journalists from Sindh at his tent office at Minar-i-Pakistan here on Friday, he said a national commission comprising genuine representatives of the masses should be formed and those should be given representation on the commission whose elders had sacrificed their lives and properties for Pakistan. He said these people should decide whether there was a need to set up new provinces. The presidential reference suggests taking six members each from the Senate and the National Assembly and two from the Punjab Assembly for the commission.Shahbaz said there was no need even to form a commission for reviving Bahawalpur as a province, arguing it was a complete province till the establishment of One Unit and had its own provincial assembly. He said a great disservice was done to Bahawalpur by not restoring its status of the province after the dissolution of One Unit. He said the Punjab Assembly had passed a unanimous resolution in this regard, while the PML-N also wanted the federation to give the status of provinces to Hazara and FATA as well. He said the new provinces should be created not on a linguistic basis but on administrative, geographical and valid political grounds. He alleged Zardari wanted to sow the seed of dissension in Punjab, and it was his (Zardari’s) desire to separate the southern part of Punjab from the province, but this “conspiracy” was foiled through approval of a resolution in the provincial assembly. He said he had never demanded making Karachi a province and there was a mischief behind this proposal which he exposed and now a conspiracy for the division of Sindh had come to the fore. He said there was no room for the creation of a new province in Sindh, and there was no secret as to who was behind the wall-chalking in Karachi. He disclosed that the wheat worth millions of rupees which was gifted to Sindh province by the PML-N government in Punjab was changed into loan during the Governor’s Rule but immediately after his reinstatement as the chief minister he again declared it a gift for the people of Sindh. He said Punjab did a great service to the other federating units by sacrificing Rs11 billion from its share in the 7th National Finance Commission Award as he believed that the people of all provinces should share each others’ joys and sufferings.