Islamabad: Pakistan's Punjab Assembly on Wednesday unanimously approved resolutions for further dividing Punjab to create two new provinces of Bahawalpur and south Punjab.

Two resolutions were submitted by Punjab Law Minister and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Rana Sanaullah. The federal government was asked to set up a commission to deliberate on the new provinces.

Though PML-N tried to get some political mileage on the issue after presenting the resolutions independently, the opposition, Pakistan People's Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q), foiled the move.

The two sides reached a consensus to table the resolutions jointly and decided that the parliamentary leaders of each party will move the resolutions one after the other.

The Assembly adopted the first resolution on Bahawalpur province.

It said the demand was based on administrative, geographical, histor-ical, constitutional and political facts.

The second resolution referred to 'Southern Punjab' province.

After the session, some lawmakers from southern Punjab raised slogans in favour of two more provinces comprising Thal and Potohar.