Rulers trying to hide their failures through debate on new provinces:Liaqat Baloch

Lahore: Secretary General, Jamaat e Islami, Liaqat Baloch, has said that the PPP and its allies were trying to befool the masses and to hide their failures during their five year rule by initiating a debate about the new provinces.

In a statement here on Monday, he said that creation of new administrative units was a public demand that had however not been given due consideration at the time of the 18th and the 20th constitutional amendments. The issue required extensive consultation among the political parties besides evolving consensus in the parliament and the provincial assemblies, which was the responsibility of the federal and the provincial governments.
He said that instead of addressing these issues, the rulers were trying to make the demand for new provinces a disputed issue and impracticable. He stressed that the national interests and national cohesion must not be compromised for carving out new provinces.

Liaqat Baloch said that the country was at the threshold of elections and the rulers had to answer to the electorate for their five year performance. The rulers knew that during their five year rule, the masses had suffered badly because of lawlessness, corruption, price hike, unemployment, while the energy crisis had crippled the country’s economy and agriculture.

Liaqat Baloch said that all that the President Zardari was required to do at this moment was to act strictly in accordance with the constitution and announce the elections schedule, while effective interim governments should be set up in the centre and in the provinces. He said that in stead of complying with the Supreme Court orders for fresh delimitation of constituencies in Karachi and verification of voters lists, there was more interference from the MQM which had establish its rule by force due to which all the institutions felt themselves helpless. He stressed that peace must be ensured in Karachi, FATA and Balochistan to enable the voters cast their vote in a free atmosphere.