JHANG: Representatives of political parties, including the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat (ASWJ), have pledged to resist any move by the Punjab government to include any part of the district into some other district.

At a press conference in the bar room on Tuesday, the leaders rejected the reports of including Jhang district’s tehsil Athara Hazari into proposed district Noorpur Thal.

Prior to the press conference, a meeting was held attended by office bearers of the Pakistan People’s Party, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf, Jamaat-i-Islami, Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam, Jhang District Bar Association, Pakistan Medical Association, Anjumn Tajran, Chamber of Commerce and Industry and non-government organisations. Treasury MPA Khurram Sial also attended the meeting.

DBA President Raja Fazlur Rehman Joya told reporters Jhang was declared a district in 1949 and from time to time, districts of Faisalabad Toba Take Singh and Chiniot were carved out of it.

“Any further cut in Jhang district’s territory is intolerable,” Mr Joya said. He said lawyers would preempt any such move and had already announced boycotts of courts for an indefinite period.

JI’s Maj Sarwar (retired) said the proposal was a conspiracy to make Jhang district just like Shahpur, which once was a district headquarter but now a tehsil of Sargodha district.

The PPP district president said the people and representatives of Jhang should have demanded the elevation of Jhang district as the divisional headquarters when Chiniot was declared a district.

He cited Sahiwal that was declared division after the formation of Okara and Pakpattan districts.

“The PPP not only opposes the separation of Athara Hazari from the district but also demands the status of division for Jhang,” he said.

PML-N’s Zahoor Chohan said he would stand by other parties for the cause of Jhang district.

ASWJ chief Muhammad Ahmad Ludhianvi said that his party was known for making sacrifices and it was ready for any sacrifice to keep Jhang intact. He added had he not been defeated through a rigged election in 2013, he would have launched a campaign for making Jhang a divisional headquarters.

PTI’s Zahid Malik said the breakdown of districts was done on the grounds of geography, history, culture and language.

MPA Sial told the audience that he was present in a meeting on Monday in Lahore to discuss the matter.

The meeting heard a report of the standing committee led by Provincial Minister Rana Mashood.

The meeting was attended by MPAs, MNAs and DCOs of Mianwali, Khushab, Bhakhar, Jhang, Muzaffargarh and Layyah districts.

“I opposed the proposal of the separation of Athara Hazari from Jhang and I hope the government will not ignore my point of view while taking a decision,” he said.