Islamabad, Apr 1: It has been 63 years wait since Pakistan’s mainstream political parties have been promising the residents of North Western Frontier Province (NWFP) that it would be given a new name.
 Despite many hiccups the constitutional committee comprised of the elected representatives, senators and the legal experts have succeeded in evolving a consensus amongst all the stakeholders to rename the Puktoon dominated province as Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa.
 The region’s sole nationalist political entity, the Awami National Party led by the Basha Khan’s grandson Asfandyar Wali Khan had proposed Pakhtoonkhwa as new name of the province, which was strongly opposed by the political entities of Hazara division that constitutes about 30 percent of the total population of the province.
 Triggering discussions and controversy amongst the various stakeholders, the name suggested by the ANP was, however, out rightly rejected by the former prime minister Mian Nawaz Sharif saying that the name for the province should have alikeness to the region’s geography instead of symbolizing to any particular tribe or a ethnic entity.
 The PML-Q led by Chudhary Shujat Hussain has also expressed reservations vis-à-vis the name Paktoonkhawa whereas all the political parties representing in the constitutional reforms committee have supported the ANP proposal.
 After marathon meetings and backdoor consultations between representatives of the PML-N, and the ANP, both the parties have agreed in principle to end the deadlock thereby reaching to consensus of renaming the province as Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa.
 “PMLN and ANP have resolved their difference and agreed to name the province as Pakhtoonkhwa”, a private news channel reported.
 According to private news channel, Peoples Party led by Aftab Ahmed Sherpao, the former interior minister has disagreed with the newly proposed name and attached a dissent note.
 As part of the constitutional package a bill in this regard would be presented soon in the national assembly for the final nod.

Lastupdate on : Thu, 1 Apr 2010 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Thu, 1 Apr 2010 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Fri, 2 Apr 2010 00:00:00 IST