The ice seems to be melting between the ruling PTI and the opposition parties amid the blame game, and claims of the opposition to topple the government. The latest move is the letter written by the Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi to the two opposition leaders, Shehbaz Shareef and Bilawal Bhutto, for the creation of a separate province in the south of Punjab, which will be comprised of Multan, Dera Ghazi Khan, and Bahawalpur divisions.
He says that the creation of a new province is an important part of PTI’s manifesto. “However, in order to meet the demand of 35 million people of south Punjab, a constitutional amendment is required for the passage of which two-third majority is required. That is the only impediment, which we need to overcome,” reads the letter.
The PTI Vice-Chairman has requested the opposition parties to forward the names of their choice to the government who will be the members of a special parliamentary committee, which will be formed for the purpose.
Prior to this letter, Mr. Qureshi had shared the message on his social media handle and also he showed his goodwill in the Senate as well where he seconded the speech of former Prime Minister Yousef Raza Gilani.
This is a very flexible and commendable move from the government side as the country is already going through a crisis phase where we are not in a position to bear any sort of unrest. Moreover, the unfortunate blast in Lahore on Thursday has also signed towards the enemies of the country conspiring to sabotage the peace of Pakistan.
Under these circumstances, the division between the political parties for the sake of mere political gains is unacceptable. The politicians particularly those who are in the parliament representing the mandate of the masses must understand that they are there to protect the rights of their voters and the sovereignty and peace in the country are on top of the list of those who vote.
Considering the regional and global political dynamics, it is a dire need of time for the parliamentarians in particular and politicians, in general, to sit down to defend the rights of the people and the sovereignty of the country.
The role of government is very important as seriousness and flexibility from the government benches will force the opposition to sit down on the issues of national interest. The gesture of government on the issue of South Punjab is very encouraging and the same approach must be adopted for other matters like national security policy.
The opposition must also revisit their strategies or their aim to topple the government which is near to impossible considering the divisions within the opposition ranks, to sit with the government on the matters of national interest.
It is the need of the hour for the government and opposition to show the world that though there are thousands of differences and disagreements when it comes to defending and protecting the sovereignty of the country, all are on one page.
