Provincial autonomy would have averted dismemberment of Pakistan: Gilani
ISLAMABAD, Jul 1 (APP): Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani Friday said if the provinces would have been given autonomy, then East Pakistan had not separated.Replying to questions in his monthly programme “PM Online”  broadcast live on Pakistan Television and Aaj TV, the Prime Minister said, “The reason of separation of East Pakistan 40 years ago was that autonomy was not given to the provinces.” The Prime Minister said Provincial Autonomy Day should be celebrated by all and no party should feel uneasy on issue of distribution of ministries from the federal government to the provincial governments.He said Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto gave a unanimous Constitution of 1973, according to which concurrent list should have been abolished in 10 years, giving autonomy and rights to the provinces and the present government fulfilled this promise of Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.
The Prime Minister lauded the work of Implementation Commission on constitutional reforms, headed by Raza Rabbani and the contribution of elected representatives of all the political parties for building consensus on the constitutional amendments that helped in ensuring provincial autonomy.