TheSaraikistan province movement, also known asSouth Punjab province movement, is the proposal to create a new province inPakistan by carving out theSaraiki-speaking southern regions ofPunjab.Multan is usually proposed as the capital of Saraikistan.
The movement for Saraiki province began in the 1970s when Saraiki-speakers demanded that theSaraiki language be officially recognized. The Pakistani government recognized the Saraiki language as a separate language under PresidentMuhammad 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 theBahawalpur,[1][2]Multan andDera Ghazi Khan divisions.[3][4][5] The proposed province would form about 52 percent of the total area and almost 40 percent of the population of the currentPunjab province.[6][7]
The Saraiki language movement originated in the late 1960s,[8] later transferring into a separate province movement after the creation of the Saraiki Subha Mahaz (SSM).[9] AlthoughBahawalpur was initially the headquarters of a separate province movement, Multan later became the centre of Saraiki nationalist activities.[8] In April 1970, Saraiki activist Riyaz Hashimi, one of the leaders of anti-One Unit movement, recorded a petition in the Supreme Court, calling for the establishment of Bahawalpur province. The petition was rejected and prompted Hashimi to push for a Saraiki-dominated province and he eventually coined the term 'Saraikistan' in 1972.[10]
The government of PresidentMuhammad Zia-ul-Haq recognized Saraiki as an independent language, which, according to Husain Ahmad Khan, was a triumph for the Saraiki movement.[8] However, Zia's regime did not allow the movement to air its grievances publicly.[9] As such, the SSM supported thePakistan 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).[9] The PSP was led by prominent Saraiki activistTaj Langah until his death in 2013.[11]
In 1989,Asghar Khan supported a Bahawalpur state and opposed the idea of a Saraiki state.[12] In the same year,Ghaus Bakhsh Bizenjo opposed the Bahawalpur state but supported the idea of a Saraiki state.[13]
In 2012,Punjab Provincial Assembly and theNational Assembly passed resolutions for the creation of a new province in Punjab. These resolutions were supported by thePakistan People's Party (PPP) andPakistan Muslim League (N) (PMLN) and were passed.[14] However, the PSP rejected the term 'South Punjab' in favor of 'Saraikistan', calling for recognition ofSaraiki identity.[15] In the2013 election, thePeople'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.[14]
In 2018 thePakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) promised to create a new province in South Punjab within the first 100 days of taking office, if they win.[16]PTI won the election and won 30 out of 50 seats of the National Assembly seats in South Punjab.[17] On 15 August 2018, PTI MPA of Punjab Assembly,Mohsin Leghari tabled a resolution for the creation of a new province in South Punjab.[14]
In 2019Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) tendered a constitutional amendment seeking to create two new provinces; Bahawalpur (formed fromBahawalpur division) and Janubi Punjab (formed fromDera Ghazi Khan andMultan divisions). The bill proposed that the two new provinces would have 39 and 38National Assembly seats respectively. Each province was also proposed to have its ownHigh Court andProvincial Assembly.[18]
On 28 January 2022 theSenate of Pakistan accepted a bill seeking the creation of South Punjab province, and was supported by thePakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) andPakistan People's Party (PPP).[19]
In 2020, a separate civil secretariat was established for SouthPunjab. The secretariat was made up ofDera Ghazi Khan Division,Multan Division, andBahawalpur Division. It became officially operational on 15 October 2020.[20]
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,[21] as well as Police.
In 2021, however, thePunjab 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 theChief Secretary," and that Southern Secretaries were to perform their functions "as directed by the administrative secretaries in Punjab Civil Secretariat."[22]
The Saraikistan Qaumi Council demanded the creation of a province by merging 24 districts in South Punjab and 2 districts inKhyber Pakhtunkhwa (Dera Ismail Khan andTank districts).[23][24] It has also been proposed to create instead two provinces in South Punjab.[18][25][26]
The main political partiesPTI,PPP, andPML(N) have differences in the geography of the proposed province. ThePPP has supported the formation of the South province by merging 15 districts of Punjab and as well asDera Ismail Khan andTank districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. ThePTI supports the formation of the South Punjab province by merging 13 districts of South Punjab only. ThePML(N) does not much support the division of Punjab into two separate provinces, but rather three.[16]
The administrative divisions of the current secretariat:
| Name of Division | Name of District | Headquarter |
|---|---|---|
| Multan | Multan | |
| Bahawalpur | Bahawalpur | |
| Dera Ghazi Khan | Dera Ghazi Khan |
The most common language spoken in Southern Punjab is Saraiki.[27] Urdu is the officiallingua franca.[28]
Islam is the dominant religion in Southern Punjab, with aSunni majority.[29]
The concerns are genuine because of the fact that the proposed province of South Punjab will comprise the divisions of Bahawalpur, Multan and Dera Ghazi Khan as well as some adjoining areas of the current Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
Second, the majority of people of D.I. Khan and Tank districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are Seraiki-speaking. They are asking to be part of a Seraiki province and have formed the Seraiki Suba Mahaz to launch a campaign for the inclusion of their districts in the new province.
Zahoor Dhareja the chairperson of the Seraikistan Qaumi Council, says, "We demand a province consisting of 24 districts: Multan, Lodhran, Khanewal, Vehari, Bahawalpur, Bahawalnagar, Rahim Yar Khan, Dera Ghazi Khan, Layyah, Muzaffargarh, Rajanpur, Pakpattan, Okara, Sargodha, Khushab, Bhakkar, Mianwali, Jhang, Toba Tek Singh, Chiniot and Faisalabad. We also demand inclusion of two districts from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: Dera Ismail Khan and Tank where 70 percent of the population speaks the Seraiki language."