MULTAN, Dec 26: Governor Makhdoom Ahmed Mehmood says he will prefer to stay in the Pakistan Muslim League-Functional instead of joining the Pakistan People’s Party.

Talking to reporters here on Wednesday, the governor said that people sitting in Lahore had the keys of finances and creation of new provinces with them, but he would get these keys tactfully. He said that resolutions for the creation of Seraiki and Bahawalpur provinces should not be treated as comical.

“If new provinces are not created Lahore will become richer and the areas of southern belt of the province will become poorer,” he said. He said he raised his voice in favour of both Seraiki and Bahawalpur provinces and supported the resolution for the creation of Seraiki province in the Punjab Assembly.

Mehmood said Bahawalpur was part of Pakistan and its provincial status should have been restored after doing away with the One Unit Scheme. He said the commission on the creation of new provinces was formed after consultations. He said the creation of new provinces was neither a minor nor political issue rather it was in national interest and will strengthen Pakistan.

The governor remarked that availability of facilities in Bahawalpur and Multan would encourage industrialists to set-up their industrial units in these areas. He said former prime minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani deserved credit for the passage of resolutions on Seraiki and  Bahawalpur provinces by the Punjab Assembly and the National Assembly.

He said people of southern Punjab served as governor, chief minister, prime minister and president, but they never had the keys of finances with them. He said the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz committed a mistake by boycotting the commission and this mistake would take toll on its vote bank.