ISLAMABAD, Dec 24: Pakistan Seraiki Party (PSP) president Taj Muhammad Langah presented before the Parliamentary Commission on New Provinces in Punjab on Monday voluminous documents in support of his demand for a new province with the name of ‘Seraikistan’ or ‘Seraiki’ comprising 23 districts -- 21 in Punjab and two in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Talking to Dawn after appearing before the commission, headed by PPP Senator Farhatullah Khan Babar, the PSP chief said he had called for including Tank and Dera Ismail Khan -- two Seraiki-speaking districts in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa – in the proposed new province.

Mr Langah also advocates inclusion of Bahawalpur, Rahim Yar Khan and Bahawalnagar districts in his proposed Seraiki province. This puts him at odds with proponents of a ‘Bahawalpur’ province comprising the three districts.

Briefing reporters after the commission’s in-camera meeting, Mr Babar, however, said the body could not consider merger of districts or areas from other provinces into the new proposed provinces because its mandate was restricted to Punjab only.

Mr Langah acknowledged that technically the commission had the mandate to discuss the division of Punjab only, but said he had requested members of the commission to at least make his demand a part of their recommendations.

He said the commission had been informed that the PSP was trying to approach President Asif Ali Zardari and Awami National Party (ANP) chief Asfandyar Wali Khan and request them to get a resolution passed from the KP Assembly for inclusion of D.I. Khan and Tank in the proposed Seraiki province.

The PSP chief said he had requested the commission through a letter to call National Assembly Deputy Speaker Faisal Karim Kundi, Asfandyar Wali, JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, former prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and MQM chief Altaf Hussain or his nominee because they had issued a number of statements supporting his demand that all Seraiki-speaking areas should be part of one federating unit.

Mr Langah, who has been leading the campaign for a separate Seraiki province for over 40 years, said he had warned the commission that division of Seraiki people would be “disastrous”.

He said he had submitted to the commission documents spread over 500 pages containing historical background of the Seraiki region. He also presented a number of maps showing independent status of Multan with its boundaries stretching up to Thatta in Sindh and Gujrat in Punjab.

He said the people of Seraiki belt had no complaint with Sindh, but they believed that they were being deprived of their waters by central Punjab.

“I have proved before the commission that Seraiki province is viable because it has its own resources and given examples of Dera Ghazi Khan and Mianwali districts which are full of minerals,” he said.

Mr Langah said he had also submitted a copy of charter of the now defunct alliance of 30 nationalist parties -- Pakistan Oppressed Nations Movement (PONM) -- which clearly stated that there were five nations – Punjabi, Sindhi, Balochi, Pakhtun and Seraiki -- and that there should be five provinces in the country on the basis of nationalities.

He claimed that PONM, which was formed in Oct 1998, still existed since it had not been dissolved. He said all main nationalist parties from the four provinces, including the ANP, were part of PONM and he considered its charter a “sacred document”.

Farhatullah Babar said the commission would meet again in the first week of next month.

Last week former information minister Muhammad Ali Durrani had given a presentation before the controversial parliamentary commission in support of the restoration of Bahawalpur province, besides creation of a Seraiki province comprising other areas of the region.

The commission became controversial right after its inception as the main opposition PML-N objected to its composition as well as its focus on one province and decided to boycott its proceedings.

The 14-member commission was formed by NA Speaker Dr Fehmida Mirza on Aug 16 in pursuance of a message from President Asif Zardari and authorisation by the assembly on July 11.

Her announcement named 12 members only, drawn from the two houses of parliament, and said two members would be nominated by the speaker of the Punjab Assembly. The speaker of the provincial assembly, who belongs to the opposition PML-N, later refused to nominate members in line with party policy, thus putting a question mark over the proceedings of the commission which, according to some legal experts, is incomplete and can’t function.

The commission has the mandate to look into issues relating to the fair distribution of economic and financial resources, demarcation, allocation/readjustment of seats in the National Assembly, Senate and the provincial assembly concerned and allocation of seats in the new province on the basis of population, including seats for minorities and women.