Saraikistan province movement

Map of the proposed province of Saraikistan (red) in Punjab

The Saraikistan province movement is the proposal to create a new province in Pakistan by carving out the Saraiki-speaking southern regions of Punjab. Multan has 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. The movement's current mainstream party is the Saraikistan Democratic Party (SDP) led by Faraz Noon.

The region of southern Punjab comprises the Bahawalpur,[1][2] Multan and Dera Ghazi Khan divisions.[3] The proposed province would form about 52 percent of the total area and almost 40 percent of the population of the current Punjab province.[4][5]

History

1970s–1990s

The Saraiki language movement originated in the early 1970s,[6] later transferring into a separate province movement after the creation of the Saraiki Subha Mahaz (SSM).[7] Although Bahawalpur was initially the headquarters of a separate province movement, Multan later became the centre of Saraiki nationalist activities.[6]

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.[6] However, Zia's regime did not allow the movement to air its grievances publicly.[7] 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).[7] The PSP was led by prominent Saraiki activist Taj Langah until his death in 2013.[8]

In 1989, Asghar Khan supported a Bahawalpur state and opposed the idea of a Saraiki state.[9] In the same year, Ghaus Bakhsh Bizenjo opposed the Bahawalpur state but supported the idea of a Saraiki state.[10]

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.[11] 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.[11]

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.[12] PTI won the election and won 30 out of 50 seats of the National Assembly seats in South Punjab.[13] On 15 August 2018, PTI MPA of Punjab Assembly, Mohsin Leghari tabled a resolution for the creation of a new province in South Punjab.[11]

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.[14]

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).[15]

Establishment of Civil Secretariat

The proportion of people with Saraiki as their mother tongue in each Pakistani District as of the 2017 Pakistan Census.

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.[16]

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,[17] 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."[18]

The Saraikistan Democratic Party (SDP) under Faraz Noon has led campaigns to support the party.[19][20]

Geography

The most common proposal for Saraikistan includes Bahawalpur, Dera Ghazi Khan and Multan divisions, which all include 13 districts. A larger claim by the Saraikistan Qaumi Council of Zahoor Dhareja demands a province by merging 24 districts, including Faisalabad district, Jhang district, Mianwali district, Sargodha district and others, in South Punjab, as well as the Dera Ismail Khan and Tank districts in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.[21] However, this demand is not universally accepted by Saraiki nationalists.[22][23][24]

The main political parties PTI, PPP, and PML(N) have differences in the geography of the proposed province. The PPP supported the formation of the South province by merging 15 districts of Punjab. The PTI supported the formation of the South Punjab province by merging 13 districts of South Punjab only.[12] The PML(N) proposed to create instead two provinces in the region, one named Bahawalpur province and the other as South Punjab province.[12][14][25][26]

Proposed administration division

The administrative divisions of the current secretariat:

Name of Division Name of District Headquarter
Multan
  1. Multan
  2. Khanewal
  3. Lodhran
  4. Vehari
 Multan
Bahawalpur
  1. Bahawalpur
  2. Bahawalnagar
  3. Rahim Yar Khan
 Bahawalpur
Dera Ghazi Khan
  1. Dera Ghazi Khan
  2. Muzaffargarh
  3. Layyah
  4. Rajanpur
  5. Kot Addu
  6. Taunsa
 Dera Ghazi Khan

Demographics and culture

Cultural map of Saraikistan

Language

The most common language spoken in Southern Punjab is Saraiki.[27] Urdu is the official lingua franca.[28]

Religion

Islam is the dominant religion in Southern Punjab, with a Sunni majority and a Shia minority.[29]

Culture

The Saraiki ajrak has become the symbol of the Saraikistan movement with mainstream political figures promoting it as a representation of Saraiki culture.[30][31][32]

References

  1. ^ Agencies (1 February 2013). "Commission recommends new 'Bahawalpur Janoobi Punjab' province". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 23 October 2024.
  2. ^ "South Punjab province or Saraikistan; what do Saraikis demand?". News Desk. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
  3. ^ Newspaper, the (15 June 2023). "Southern Punjab and the issue of equality". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 19 June 2023. 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.
  4. ^ "South India: larger in size, less in population". Retrieved 13 April 2020.
  5. ^ "Pakistan Population (2023) - Worldometer". www.worldometers.info. Retrieved 12 February 2023.
  6. ^ a b c "The origin and politics of the Seraiki movement". DAWN.COM. 24 May 2009. Retrieved 10 June 2025.
  7. ^ a b c Jaffrelot, Christophe (16 June 2016). The Pakistan Paradox: Instability And Resilience. Random House India. ISBN 978-81-8400-707-7.
  8. ^ Ahmed, Shakeel (8 April 2013). "Seraiki leader Taj Langah passes away". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 10 June 2025.
  9. ^ "JPRS Report: Near East & South Asia" (PDF). Foreign Broadcast Information Service. 6 September 1989.
  10. ^ "JPRS Report: Near East & South Asia" (PDF). Foreign Broadcast Information Service. 6 September 1989.
  11. ^ a b c "What lies behind demands for a separate province in south Punjab". Retrieved 16 April 2020.
  12. ^ a b c "A province for Seraikis". Retrieved 16 April 2020.
  13. ^ "A province in the making". Retrieved 16 April 2020.
  14. ^ a b Wasim, Amir (29 January 2019). "PML-N demands creation of Bahawalpur, south Punjab provinces". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 23 October 2024.
  15. ^ "BILAWAL, SHEHBAZ'S SUPPORT SOUGHT FOR CREATION OF SOUTH PUNJAB PROVINCE". ARYNEWS.tv. 20 January 2022.
  16. ^ Reporter, The Newspaper's Staff (5 September 2020). "South Punjab secretariat becomes operational on Oct 15". DAWN.COM.
  17. ^ Malik, Mansoor (1 September 2020). "15 full-fledged depts created for south Punjab secretariat". DAWN.COM.
  18. ^ "South Punjab Secretariat's powers curtailed through amendments". The Nation. 31 March 2021. Retrieved 23 October 2024.
  19. ^ "روزنامہ دنیا :- شہر کی دنیا:-سرائیکستان صوبہ نہ بنایا تو اسلام آباد کا گھیراؤ کرینگے ، رانا فراز نون". Roznama Dunya: روزنامہ دنیا :-. Retrieved 19 August 2025.
  20. ^ "سرائیکستان ڈیمو کریٹک پارٹی چیئرمین رانا فراز نون کی قیادت میں کام کر رہی ہے : نعیم ڈاہا". Nawaiwaqt (in Urdu). 6 June 2020. Retrieved 20 August 2025.
  21. ^ Shah, Nadeem. "A province for Seraikis? | Dialogue | thenews.com.pk". www.thenews.com.pk. Retrieved 19 June 2023. 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."
  22. ^ Wasim, Amir (25 October 2022). "Demand for south Punjab province echoes in National Assembly". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 5 February 2023.
  23. ^ "New boundaries: Protesters demand Tank, DI Khan be included in Saraiki province". The Express Tribune. 21 February 2013. Retrieved 19 June 2023.
  24. ^ "Seraiki province debate". DAWN.COM. 14 August 2011. Retrieved 19 June 2023. 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.
  25. ^ "پاکستان تحریک انصاف جنوبی پنجاب کی محرومیوں کا ازالہ کرنے کیلئے پرعزم ہے، پنجاب کابینہ نے جنوبی پنجاب سیکرٹریٹ کی خودمختاری کیلئے تاریخ ساز فیصلہ کیا ہے ". Office of the Chief Minister of Punjab, Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Archived from the original on 2 February 2022. Retrieved 16 September 2022.
  26. ^ "Hopefully, govt will end injustice towards South Punjab: PM Imran". Aaj news. February 2022.
  27. ^ "Saraiki, a Language of Pakistan". Ethnologue. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 25 September 2015.
  28. ^ Robina Kausar; Muhammad Sarwar; Muhammad Shabbir (eds.). "The History of the Urdu Language Together with Its Origin and Geographic Distribution" (PDF). International Journal of Innovation and Research in Educational Sciences. 2 (1).
  29. ^ "Information on Sunni-Shia conflict". Pakistan - Researched and compiled by the Refugee Documentation Centre.
  30. ^ "Saraiki Ajrak Day observed in Tank". 7 March 2021.
  31. ^ "CM predicts opposition's defeat". 6 March 2022.
  32. ^ "CM Punjab Felicitates Seraiki People on the Eve of Seraiki Culture Day | Punjab Portal". Archived from the original on 23 February 2025. Retrieved 14 March 2022.

Bibliography

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