JHANG, Dec 25: Parliamentarians and political activists belonging to Jhang have urged the provincial government to elevate Jhang to the status of divisional headquarter in case the government decides to make Chiniot a new district of the province.

The demand of Jhang being made a division has gained more impetus by a recent decision of the Punjab government to make Sahiwal a division.

Talking to Dawn, Syeda Abida Husain, a PPP leader and former ambassador to the US, said that Jhang deserved to be given the divisional status to restore its past glory.

Elaborating her point, she said that Jhang held a very significant position in the history and after Lahore and Multan, Jhang along with Bhera had been a great center of civilization, politics and culture.

Jhang was made district in 1849. At that time it was one of the largest districts of the undivided Punjab. Its boundaries spread from river Ravi in the east, river Jhelum in south and Chenab in the north and north west. Almost the entire present-day Faisalabad district was a part of Jhang district till 1904, when a new district of Lyallpur was created.

A vast part of current Sargodha district, comprising Kirana and Farooqa areas, fell within the jurisdiction of Jhang district till the creation of Sargodha district, by shifting the district headquarters from Shahpur to Sargodha.

Areas of present-day Khanewal district (then Multan) falling between river Ravi and Jhang district’s present boundary near Shorkot also were a part of Jhang district till the advent of the 20th century.

At present, Jhang district comprises two big, Jhang and Chiniot, and two comparatively smaller, Shorkot and Ahmedpur Sail, sub-divisions. Chiniot is the second largest sub-division of the district comprising 44 of a total 128 union councils of the district. With a very popular movement to make Chiniot a district gaining momentum in the recent months and with some positive signals also coming from the government, Jhang faces an ominous threat of being really out to the size.

Abida Husain said without any prejudice or grudge to the just demand of the people of Chiniot for their right to have their sub-division elevated to a full fledge district, the best way of compensating Jhang for this loss of territory and revenue would be to elevate it to the status of a division.

Jhang is situated in the centre of Bhakar and Chiniot, so annexing these two districts to the proposed division makes sense. Bhakar is nearer to Jhang compared to its present divisional headquarters Sargodha.

HAILED: Local farmers have welcomed the government proposal to sell the fertilizers and pesticides at utility stores. A cross section of growers in the district have expressed their optimism that if implemented the decision will go a long way in putting an end to the sale of adulterated farm inputs. It will also stop the black marketing and hoarding of the fertilizers.

On the other hand, the district administration has stepped up their crackdown against hoarders of fertilizers.

The deputy district officer (revenue) Jhang, M Haroon Rashid, carried out a raid at a house in Ayub Chowk and recovered 700 bags of urea fertilizers which were sold on the spot to farmers at the prescribed rate of Rs 662 per bag. A criminal case was registered against hoarder Ejaz who was handed over to police.