Lahore:
The Pakistan Peoples Party and its ally of the Pakistani-Nawaz Muslim League exchanged beards in Punjab on the issue of six new channels on Thursday, with the former warning that the situation was already bad in the two provinces, the question of the canal could put the third province in the same category.
With demonstrations going to the Sindh against the construction of six new channels to the Punjab which, they feared, would be given water on their part, the senior PPP, Chaudhry Manzoor Ahmad, whose party was in power in the Sindh, during a press conference in Lahore, denounced what he described as a “controversial project”. He said that the PPP would not allow the government to infringe the rights of farmers.
Manzoor said water is a sensitive problem, so much so that Pakistan has a dispute with its neighbor on it.
“You kill small farmers from Punjab on behalf of corporate agriculture, but the PPP will not leave that ATHIS occur. We will be with farmers everywhere,” said Ahmad to a press conference on the controversy of the canals, while without naming the government.
“The situation in the two provinces is already bad, now we want to do it also in the third,” he continued. “The problem of water in Pakistan is very sensitive. There are many demonstrations in the Sindh against the new channels,” he added.
Against the assurances that the share of the Sindh water would not be affected, he asked where they would attract water for this project; Will Punjab reduce the supply of certain other channels?
He said that Pakistan, which was already 20%in water deficient, then from where they will water this channel. He said that this shortfall should be faced with all provinces as well.
He said they were told that the channels would get water in the floods, so during the nine months when there is no flood water, from where these channels will get the water.
He also questioned the reluctance of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to convene a meeting of the Common Interest Council despite requests from the Sindh and other provinces.
Punjab Minister of Punjab, Azma Bokhari, replied to the press conference, said the Pakistan People’s Party should not bring his internal disputes to the media.
She pointed out that the politicization of water from the canal has always been a Sindh practice, while the reality is that the PPP must first determine which it is water – that of the Sindh or the Punjab.
She stressed that PPP leaders claim to be farmers, but they should first check if farmers support them.
Bokhari asked: “Can you not fight for the rights of Punjab while living in Punjab?
The Minister stressed that Punjab does not remove anyone’s rights or allows others to undermine itself. She said Punjab had always played the role of an older brother, and history shows that it has never been unfair to anyone.
Bokhari suggested that instead of questioning the Punjab Minister -in Chief, he would be more appropriate for the PPP to ask for clarification from the president of Pakistan on this subject.
