PESHAWAR, Feb 11: A writ petition has been filed in Peshawar High Court against the proposal of carving out a new province from Punjab, terming it a scheme to disintegrate the country.

A two-member bench comprising Justice Khalid Mahmood and Justice Asadullah Khan Chamkani is scheduled to take up for preliminary hearing on Tuesday the writ petition filed by Barrister Baachaa.

The petitioner has requested the court to direct the respondents including the federal government to ‘stop playing with the future of the country’ by cutting it into different parts.

The petitioner has requested the court to direct the Commission for Creation of New Provinces in Punjab to stop all proceedings and actions regarding the creation of new province in Punjab till the ultimate disposal of the writ petition.

The government of Pakistan through secretary establishment and Commissions for Creation of New Provinces in Punjab through its chairperson Senator Farhatullah Babar are respondents in the petition.

The petitioner claimed that a ploy to score political points the ruling Pakistan People’s Party in cahoots with its allies Mutahidda Qaumi Movement (MQM) and Awami National Party (ANP) embarked upon the most dangerous scheme of disintegration of Pakistan.

He added that not to be left far behind, the main opposition political party, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), had also become a party to such accursed plan.

He stated that a parliamentary commission had been appointed with 11 members, headed by Senator Farhatullaha Babar, to divide Punjab into more provinces for the benefit of the said political set-up.

He added that to break the hold of PML-N, the alliance of PPPP, MQM and ANP had proposed carving out a chunk from the southern Punjab and name it Bahawalpur Janoobi Punjab. He said that PML-N was insisting upon chopping off two provinces from the present Punjab. The petitioner claimed that MQM was waiting in the wings till such time when the new provinces in Punjab were announced to renew their claim for a Mohajir province by the name of Jinnahpur.

The petitioner believes that the creation of a province by the two respondents was the first step towards the break up of the country. He added that such a step would give a fresh impetus to demand for Hazara province, thereby dividing Khyber Pakhtunkhwa purely on linguistic basis.