BAHAWALPUR: A number of leaders of Bahawalpur United Front (BUF) on Sunday paid rich tributes to Hafiz Muhammad Shafiq and Muhammad Azeem Dadpotra, two martyrs of the movement for restoration of Bahawalpur province on their death anniversary.

The two activists were killed 52 years ago on April 24, 1970, when police had opened fire on a peaceful rally outside Farid Gate, demanding restoration of Bahawalpur province during Gen Yahya Khan’s martial law regime.

The rally was led by Late Prince Mamoon-ul-Rashid Abbasi. Scores of (BUF) leaders, including women, along with workers, were arrested, who were handed down jail terms of varying duration by the military summary courts.

Addressing different gatherings in the city to remember the contribution of the two martyred activists, the BUF leaders urged the government to restore the province that was a “right of the local population”.

BUF veteran leaders including Akram Ansari, Jam Hazoor Bkash, Nasrullah Nasir, retired Prof Dr Midhat Kamli, women front chief Ms Asia Kamil, Ms Farkhanda Sheikh and others in their speeches reiterated their demand for the restoration of Bahawalpur province.

They reminded the PDM coalition government’s newly-elected Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif that his party PML-N had made a commitment with the people of Bahawalpur to take measures for the restoration of the province and also got adopted a resolution in this respect in the Punjab Assembly. They also referred to the promises made by PML-N Qaid Nawaz Sharif during his past visits to the area regarding restoration of the province.

The BUF leaders said that the Legal Frame Order (LFO) introduced by dictator Gen Yahyah Khan had deliberately ignored the restoration of Bahawalpur province that was functional before the Late Nawab Muhammad Sadiq Khan Abbasi gave his consent for its inclusion in the One-Unit.

They regretted that when Yahyah Khan abolished One-Unit, he announced the restoration of Punjab and Sindh provinces, but ignored Bahawalpur and instead created a new province of Balochistan.

They vowed to struggle for the restoration of Bahawalpur province, saying that the Jamaat-i-Islami and Jamiat Ulema Islam-Fazl had also supported their just demand.

Published in Dawn, April 25th, 2022