Saraikistan Map

The Saraikistan province movement is the proposal to create a new province in Pakistan by carving out the Saraiki-speaking southern regions of Punjab. Bahawalpur or Multan have been proposed as the capital of Saraikistan.

The movement for Saraiki province began in the 1970s when Saraiki-speakers demanded that the Saraiki language be officially recognized and promoted as a separate language, instead of being considered a dialect of the Punjabi language. The Pakistani government recognized the Saraiki language as a separate language under President Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq, though he kept the provincial movement in check. In 1989, Taj Langah founded the Pakistan Saraiki Party (PSP) and remained its president until his death in 2013. He was one of the foremost figures of the Saraiki province movement.

The region of southern Punjab comprises the Bahawalpur, Multan and Dera Ghazi Khan divisions. The proposed province would form about 52 percent of the total area and almost 40 percent of the population of the current Punjab province.

History

1970s–1990s

The Saraiki language movement originated in the early 1970s, later transferring into a separate province movement after the creation of the Saraiki Subha Mahaz (SSM). Although Bahawalpur was initially the headquarters of a separate province movement, Multan later became the centre of Saraiki nationalist activities.

The government of President Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq recognized Saraiki as an independent language, which, according to Husain Ahmad Khan, was a triumph for Saraiki movement. However, Zia's regime did not allow the movement to air its grievances publicly. As such, the SSM supported the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) in exchange for promises that their demands would be considered if voted in. However, upon the failure to fulfil the demands, the Saraiki Subha Mahaz transformed into the Pakistan Saraiki Party (PSP). The PSP was led by prominent Saraiki activist Taj Langah until his death in 2013.

In 1989, Asghar Khan supported a Bahawalpur state and opposed the idea of a Saraiki state. In the same year, Ghaus Bakhsh Bizenjo opposed the Bahawalpur state but supported the idea of a Saraiki state.

2000s–present

In 2012, Punjab Provincial Assembly and the National Assembly passed resolutions for the creation of a new province in Punjab. These resolutions were supported by the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League (N) (PMLN) and were passed. In the 2013 election, the People's Party tried to mobilize voters from Southern Punjab over the creation of a separate province. But they got only one National Assembly seat from the region.

In 2018 the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) promised to create a new province in South Punjab within the first 100 days of taking office, if they win. PTI won the election and won 30 out of 50 seats of the National Assembly seats in South Punjab. On 15 August 2018, PTI MPA of Punjab Assembly, Mohsin Leghari tabled a resolution for the creation of a new province in South Punjab.

In 2019 Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) tendered a constitutional amendment seeking to create two new provinces; Bahawalpur (formed from Bahawalpur division) and Janubi Punjab (formed from Dera Ghazi Khan and Multan divisions). The bill proposed that the two new provinces would have 39 and 38 National Assembly seats respectively. Each province was also proposed to have its own High Court and Provincial Assembly.

On 28 January 2022 the Senate of Pakistan accepted a bill seeking the creation of South Punjab province, and was supported by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan People's Party (PPP).

Establishment of Civil Secretariat

In 2020, a separate civil secretariat was established for South Punjab. The secretariat was made up of Dera Ghazi Khan Division, Multan Division, and Bahawalpur Division. It became officially operational on 15 October 2020.

Initially, the following departments were included in the separate Administrative Secretariat of South Punjab region: Services and General Administration, Home, Health, Education, Agriculture, Planning and Development, Livestock and Dairy Development, Local Government and Community Development, Housing, Urban Development and Public Health, Engineering, Irrigation, Forest, Communication and Works, and Revenue, as well as Police.

In 2021, however, the Punjab Government "curtailed the administrative and financial powers" of the 15 departments devolved in the Secretariat, instead being declared "attached departments" subordinate to the Punjab Civil Secretariat. It was also noted in the new rules that “the Additional Chief Secretary South Punjab, shall exercise such powers and functions as may be assigned to him by the Chief Secretary," and that Southern Secretaries were to perform their functions "as directed by the administrative secretaries in Punjab Civil Secretariat."

Geography

The Saraikistan Qaumi Council demanded the creation of a province by merging 24 districts in South Punjab and 2 districts in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (Dera Ismail Khan and Tank districts). It has also been proposed to create instead two provinces in South Punjab.

The main political parties PTI, PPP, and PML(N) have differences in the geography of the proposed province. The PPP supports the formation of the South province by merging 15 districts of Punjab and as well as Dera Ismail Khan and Tank districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The PTI supports the formation of the South Punjab province by merging 13 districts of South Punjab only. The PML(N) does not much support the division of Punjab into two separate provinces, but rather three.

Proposed administration division

The administrative divisions of the current secretariat:

Demographics

Language

The most common language spoken in Southern Punjab is Saraiki. Urdu is the official ''lingua franca''.

Religion

Islam is the dominant religion in Southern Punjab, with a Sunni majority and a Shia minority.

See also

* History of Punjab
* Saraikis
* Hazara Province Movement, a proposed province in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

References

Bibliography

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{{Authority control

Proposed provinces and territories of Pakistan
Provincial disputes in Pakistan
Regions of Pakistan