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Groundwork completed, Bahawalpur, Hazara province bill to be tabled next month: Muhammad Ali Durrani

Lahore: Senior politician and former information minister Muhammad Ali Durrani announced on Tuesday that constitutional amendment seeking the immediate restoration of Bahawalpur province and the creation of Hazara province will be tabled in Parliament next month.'The draft for constitutional amendment have been prepared for restoration of Bahawalpur province and creation of Hazara province that will be tabled in National Assembly and Senate in September, ' Muhammad Ali Durrani said addressing a press conference alongside political leader Imran Riaz.Durrani recalled that the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) had already presented a constitutional amendment bill in the National Assembly on January 29, 2019, for the creation of Bahawalpur and South Punjab provinces.'The people of Bahawalpur and Hazara have a legitimate expectation that the leadership of the ruling parties, the PML-N and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) will honour their commitment and get the bill passed without without any further delay, ' he said.Durrani said that the debate over the creation of new provinces in the country on an administrative basis had now 'entered a decisive stage. 'Recalling the struggle he had started in 2008 for the purpose, he said 'Alhamdulillah, today, after 18 years of our struggle, a general consensus has been reached throughout the nation that new provinces should be created in the country. ''This is the very path that can take Pakistan out of the quagmire of administrative, economic and social problems, ' he said.Durrani said that a prominent aspect of the ongoing debate over the creation of new provinces was the fact that all politicians, including those belonging to the ruling parties, were in agreement on the restoration of Bahawalpur province and the creation of Hazara province.He said the two proposals also fulfilled Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi's formula and Mian Amir Mahmood's divisional formula. The constitutional and political requirements for the restoration of Bahawalpur province and the est ablishment of Hazara province had already been fulfilled, he said.'The establishment of these two provinces is immediately possible since there's no obstacle, ' he said.Durrani demanded that, in the first phase, Bahawalpur province should be restored and Hazara province should be established. He said the two provinces would emerge as 'a new model of governance. 'He said the establishment of the two provinces would immediately open the doors to strengthening Pakistan's agricultural economy and achieving economic stability. Bahawalpur province, he said, would become the 'food basket of the whole of Pakistan, ' with the 6. 4 million acres of land in Cholistan having the capacity to meet all of Pakistan's food requirements.'This province will ensure Pakistan's food security, which is an important part of national security, ' Durrani said.The Hazara province, would become a centre for hydropower, minerals, fruits, CPEC and tourism. 'These two provinces, with comprehensive local government systems, should be showcased to the people of the country, ' he said.In addition, he said there were neither feudal lords nor terrorists in these two provinces and they would become examples of good governance and public empowerment.In response to a question about the shifting of former prime minister Imran Khan to a hospital, Durrani said the Supreme Court's decision was welcome. 'This development is the result of dialogue, ' he said. 'Political stability can only come through dialogue, and provinces can also be created through dialogue. '