LAHORE, April 16: Former PML-Q minister Muhammad Ali Durrani has assailed President Asif Zardari for joining Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani’s “conspiracy” to fan lingual and racial riots in southern Punjab.

At a press conference here on Monday, he termed President Zardari’s call for creation of Seraiki province a sheer violation of the Constitution.

He said now the people of southern Punjab were being targeted for their “sin” of voting the PPP into power after a similar fueling in Lyari, Quetta, Gilgit and Skardu.

The former senator appealed to Nawaz Sharif, Maulana Fazlur Rehman, Hasil Bizenjo and other political leaders to play their democratic, constitutional and public role in thwarting the PPP “conspiracy” to fuel lingual and racial hatred among people of southern Punjab for “petty political objectives”.

“The president does not enjoy any authority under the Constitution to make such an announcement and thus doing so, he has become controversial, as his office is a symbol of the federation to protect the rights of all the federating units,” he said.

Mr Durrani, a proponent of restoration of Bahawalpur province, demanded referendum under Article 49 of the Constitution to ascertain the views of people of Bahawalpur as a resolution by him on the same subject was pending with the Senate secretariat.

He also read out a statement of Salahuddin Abbasi, Nawab of Bahawalpur, for the media who said the people of Bahawalpur were the custodian of agreements made between Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah and Nawab Sadiq Muhammad Khan Abbasi-V.

“I challenge the prime minister to contest against me in any constituency of Bahawalpur out of the total 15 NA seats at any time so that he could know his political position and the public anger against his feeble government,” the statement quoted Nawab Abbasi as saying.

Mr Durrani said “unilateral”, “un-parliamentary” and “undemocratic” manner of announcement by President Zardari was rejected by the people of Bahawalpur. He said by doing so, the president himself had buried the politics of reconciliation.

“A consensus prevails among the political leadership as far as the restoration of Bahawalpur province is concerned and the complete support announced by PML-N leaders Nawaz Sharif and Shahbaz Sharif, JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, nationalist leaders of Sindh, Balochistan, Fata, and even Hazara and across Pakistan while the Senate standing committees, after examining the legal, historical record and agreements, fully endorsed the right of people of Bahawalpur,” he claimed.

The former minister claimed that the federal government was planning to impose its decision in a dictatorial fashion through 21st amendment. He warned it would be resisted by the young and the old across Bahawalpur at every forum utilising every possible means for achieving their just demand.