Islamabad:
In a move to extinguish the flames of the controversy on the channel projects, the Darrier ISHAQ DAR on Monday ensured the legislators on Monday that even a drop of SINDH water would not be diverted to any other province, adding that the whole disputed program would be examined with the Pakistan peoples (PPP) party on board.
DAR responded to the growing concern of the PPP on Canal’s projects on the Industry River, because the party asked for an immediate stop to work on the disputed channels and called for a meeting of the Common Interest Board (CCI).
Chairing the session of the National Assembly, President Ayaz Sadiq supervised the heated debate while the PPP legislators pressed the government for more clarity.
Offering insurance in his policy declaration, DAR said that the question of the channels was first noted within the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC), and that any other action was postponed after the objections of the PPP.
He said he had not authorized the questions related to the channel to include subsequent meetings on the agenda.
“Sometimes misunderstandings arise, and they must be allowed. We are all brothers,” said Dar. “I have close links with the PPP and assure you that not even a single drop of Sindh water will not be taken for Punjab.”
He said Punjab was free to undertake development projects using its own share of water, but no other province would be authorized to undermine the Sindh quota.
Without naming, he referred to a controversial statement by a Minister of Punjab, the appellant “inappropriate”.
“From the creation of the IRSA to its current operation, the national interest has always been our director principle. The Prime Minister ordered that the legitimate concerns of Sindh should be treated,” added Dar.
He added that the channel problem would be examined technically and jointly with the PPP.
The Minister of Information, Atullah Tarar, also weighed, saying: “We must not bulldozer the house”.
“The 1991 water agreement presented the water distribution procedure. We are still ready for consensus,” added Tarar.
Earlier, on a order point, Raja Pervaiz Ashraf shared his recent experience by visiting Sindh on the anniversary of the death of former Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. “I attended the reaction of the emotional public against the projects to extract the canal. The provinces are already faced with water shortages, where will water come from for new channels?” He asked.
He said President Asif Ali Zardari himself expressed his opposition to such projects during his speech to the House.
The Shabbir Bijarani said that two channels had already been extracted from the Indus and that the province was facing a significant water deficit. “The Sindh received 15% of its share, and this has now been reduced by 40%.”
He urged the Prime Minister to make a policy declaration in the House and announce that no new channel will be developed.
