On road to confederation or disaster
Ambassador’s Diary
Dr Samiullah Koreshi
Monday, September 03, 2012 - Let us say that concern is on creating new provinces not any objection on Farhatullah Babur’s Chairmanship of the Commission as Babur is a man of impeccable integrity, few like him are in the country. What is under objection is the PPP‘s insistence on creating new province which will be an unbearable burden on is Pakistan’s pocket. Creating a new province of South Punjab has very dangerous implications.
The demand will not stop here, it will lead to a series of such demands, and it’s chain reaction will be to create many new ‘Nabobs’ to win wadera-cum-gaddi nashin personalities, who know acquisition of high political posts is a title to acquire more positions of pomp and show. We cannot afford additional new “Nabobs” in the shape of new Governors, ministers and what not. Simply we do not have the means to afford such luxuries of personal vanities. And as I said many times the demand will not rest at creation of a South Punjab Province. Already some are saying that if South Punjab then why not South Sindh? And Hazara, and Potohar etc. It is a slippery road to bankruptcy, disintegration like Yugoslavia did. I find that a political big wig, Aslam Raisani, Chief Minister of Balochistan has similar objections on the proposition as I have. He also thinks that such a move will be dangerous to the unity and integrity of the country. Just look at the financial implications of creating new Provinces. Multiply the budget of the new Provinces by as many times as new Provinces will be created by the present provincial expenditures as we have now. Creating South Punjab alone would mean adding another expenditure equal to that of present Punjab.
As a political analyst we do not get misled of the purpose of the move by statements of the political players we ask what actually is the deep but concealed motive in a sugar quoted innocent explanation of the move. We ask what actually is up the sleeves, or the concealed purpose. The base of this move was the Eighteenth Amendment under which many federal subjects were transferred to the Provinces, The second step is creation of smaller provinces – all ostensibly to make Provinces powerful on the assumption that strong provinces mean strong country. But is it really so or a step in loosening the Federation. The upsetting of the balance between the provinces and the Federation. This scheme will convert Pakistan from a Federation to Confederation. It seems that PPP is a parochial party. Another point is that the proponents of Bahawalpur Suba used to say that they want its entity restored as the Quaid had given guarantee that Bahawalpur’s entity would be retained after its accession to Pakistan Now if Bahawalpur is amalgamated into South Punjab Province then is it not a denial of the principal on which demand was being made that Bahawalpur should be made a separate province? How that claim no longer is valid?
The gravity of implication of creating more new provinces should be realized Who will pay the additional expenses of creation of such provinces? On return from India, Jehangir Badar said Inida has advanced because it remain democratic throughout in the past or words to that effect. It is half the truth not the whole truth. Hindus take their differences among themselves so far but not farther. In India developed a different political culture than in Pakistan. In Pakistan intolerance to each other led to break down of political democracy – as different from social democratic values in Muslim society which is ingrained in the Muslim peoples. It was utter misbehavior of the politicians which led in Pakistan to military interventions, save by Musharruf which alone has been a Coup d’etat none others. Our politicians must learn to blame themselves for the failure of democracy in Pakistan which led to military interventions. Telling half the truths and manufacturing history would be self serving but not the truth. Why there has not been military intervention in U.K except once long ago by Cromwell. Self criticism is necessary for improving the sick Pakistani democracy. On the international scene the Situation in Syria is now a recipe for Arab League intervention. It has passed the stage of solving the problem through diplomacy and talks . Like in human beings, mild treatment becomes irrelevant when the patient’s condition deteriorates seriously . I had opposed Western “Monkey’s” involvement in Syria, ( remember Aesop’s Stories) as it did in Libya. Time is ripe for the Arab League , O I C and N A M to make strong move for stopping the killing of civilians in Syrian conflict. I recall that the Arab League had in Kuwait intervened and my dear friend Sudani General Ahmed el Habib el Sharif was made the head of Arab League intervention force in Kuwait when Iraq had occupied it rejecting Kuwait’s sovereignty. Now a “Demand” should be made on Syria for immediate cease fire and Bashara El Assad to accept an Arab League intervention force to enforce a cease fire and eventually make re-election to change the regime.
Expelling Syria from OIC was a right step but a means for further action and not as the end of the matter. This is what I had suggested in substance in my article on OIC Summit of Syria. The only Arab leader who has the standing to do it is H M the Saudi King . At present it should escalate to the stage of Arab League intervention. Syria is badly bleeding. Time for Diplomatic solution is gone. Patience is reached the limit. Surprising the most sophisticated of Arabs have also crossed the limits of civilized world’s patience. Arab League intervention should be imposed after holding an Arab League Summit and inviting Syria to attend it. It should remain an Arab issue and NOT become an excuse for a NATO intervention. No NATO “Monkey” business.
The demand will not stop here, it will lead to a series of such demands, and it’s chain reaction will be to create many new ‘Nabobs’ to win wadera-cum-gaddi nashin personalities, who know acquisition of high political posts is a title to acquire more positions of pomp and show. We cannot afford additional new “Nabobs” in the shape of new Governors, ministers and what not. Simply we do not have the means to afford such luxuries of personal vanities. And as I said many times the demand will not rest at creation of a South Punjab Province. Already some are saying that if South Punjab then why not South Sindh? And Hazara, and Potohar etc. It is a slippery road to bankruptcy, disintegration like Yugoslavia did. I find that a political big wig, Aslam Raisani, Chief Minister of Balochistan has similar objections on the proposition as I have. He also thinks that such a move will be dangerous to the unity and integrity of the country. Just look at the financial implications of creating new Provinces. Multiply the budget of the new Provinces by as many times as new Provinces will be created by the present provincial expenditures as we have now. Creating South Punjab alone would mean adding another expenditure equal to that of present Punjab.
As a political analyst we do not get misled of the purpose of the move by statements of the political players we ask what actually is the deep but concealed motive in a sugar quoted innocent explanation of the move. We ask what actually is up the sleeves, or the concealed purpose. The base of this move was the Eighteenth Amendment under which many federal subjects were transferred to the Provinces, The second step is creation of smaller provinces – all ostensibly to make Provinces powerful on the assumption that strong provinces mean strong country. But is it really so or a step in loosening the Federation. The upsetting of the balance between the provinces and the Federation. This scheme will convert Pakistan from a Federation to Confederation. It seems that PPP is a parochial party. Another point is that the proponents of Bahawalpur Suba used to say that they want its entity restored as the Quaid had given guarantee that Bahawalpur’s entity would be retained after its accession to Pakistan Now if Bahawalpur is amalgamated into South Punjab Province then is it not a denial of the principal on which demand was being made that Bahawalpur should be made a separate province? How that claim no longer is valid?
The gravity of implication of creating more new provinces should be realized Who will pay the additional expenses of creation of such provinces? On return from India, Jehangir Badar said Inida has advanced because it remain democratic throughout in the past or words to that effect. It is half the truth not the whole truth. Hindus take their differences among themselves so far but not farther. In India developed a different political culture than in Pakistan. In Pakistan intolerance to each other led to break down of political democracy – as different from social democratic values in Muslim society which is ingrained in the Muslim peoples. It was utter misbehavior of the politicians which led in Pakistan to military interventions, save by Musharruf which alone has been a Coup d’etat none others. Our politicians must learn to blame themselves for the failure of democracy in Pakistan which led to military interventions. Telling half the truths and manufacturing history would be self serving but not the truth. Why there has not been military intervention in U.K except once long ago by Cromwell. Self criticism is necessary for improving the sick Pakistani democracy. On the international scene the Situation in Syria is now a recipe for Arab League intervention. It has passed the stage of solving the problem through diplomacy and talks . Like in human beings, mild treatment becomes irrelevant when the patient’s condition deteriorates seriously . I had opposed Western “Monkey’s” involvement in Syria, ( remember Aesop’s Stories) as it did in Libya. Time is ripe for the Arab League , O I C and N A M to make strong move for stopping the killing of civilians in Syrian conflict. I recall that the Arab League had in Kuwait intervened and my dear friend Sudani General Ahmed el Habib el Sharif was made the head of Arab League intervention force in Kuwait when Iraq had occupied it rejecting Kuwait’s sovereignty. Now a “Demand” should be made on Syria for immediate cease fire and Bashara El Assad to accept an Arab League intervention force to enforce a cease fire and eventually make re-election to change the regime.
Expelling Syria from OIC was a right step but a means for further action and not as the end of the matter. This is what I had suggested in substance in my article on OIC Summit of Syria. The only Arab leader who has the standing to do it is H M the Saudi King . At present it should escalate to the stage of Arab League intervention. Syria is badly bleeding. Time for Diplomatic solution is gone. Patience is reached the limit. Surprising the most sophisticated of Arabs have also crossed the limits of civilized world’s patience. Arab League intervention should be imposed after holding an Arab League Summit and inviting Syria to attend it. It should remain an Arab issue and NOT become an excuse for a NATO intervention. No NATO “Monkey” business.
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