ISLAMABAD:
The PPP on Tuesday clashed with the PML-N government over Sindh’s water quota, accusing it of blocking Indus water and diverting it through six new canals.
PPP parliamentary leader in the Senate, Senator Sherry Rehman, has called for convening a meeting of the Council of Common Interest (CCI) to clarify the government’s position on commercial farming in desert areas and construction of canals on the Indus River.
Speaking on an adjournment motion in the Senate session chaired by the vice president, Rehman pointed out that the ICC had not met in the last 11 months. He warned that the canal plan could disrupt water distribution in Sindh, worsen water shortages and cause environmental damage.
During the session, Minister of Water Resources Mussadik Malik presented the water distribution figures. However, PPP lawmakers termed the data as different from the reality on the ground. Rehman called for urgent measures to address unequal distribution of water.
He said the government wanted to irrigate the Cholistan desert, but asked how it would make water available for irrigation, when the Indus River System Authority (Irsa) had been reporting water shortages for the last 25 years.
Opposition leader Shibli Faraz supported low-lying riparian rights. “We support the PPP on this issue. The CCI meeting will not be held,” he said, highlighting the need to convene a CCI meeting to resolve the pressing water scarcity issues.
The Water Resources Minister, while submitting a detailed reply in the House on the formula of water distribution and construction of canals, stated that anyone can construct canals with their own share of water. “Nobody’s water quota has been reduced. This is not even possible after the 18th Amendment,” he said.
PML-N’s parliamentary leader in the upper house, Senator Irfan Siddiqui, said in the house that water was being supplied as per the water distribution formula. He added that if someone builds canals with their share of water, then the objection in this regard is unjustified.
Other members also participated in the discussion. Later, the PPP legislators demanded Vice President Syedal Khan to refer the matter to the concerned committee of the House. However, the president rejected the request, prompting the PPP to protest.
Also during the session, PPP legislators protested against Communications Minister Aleem Khan’s statement on the party. Khan had said that the government intended to build a completely new expressway from Karachi to Sukkur, which would extend to Karachi.
He then said that the previous government, including the PPP and PTI, should answer why they did not build highways during their tenure. He added that he was minister for six months and “I will give an account of my six-year ministerial term.”
The PPP protested Aleem Khan’s comments. However, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar intervened and apologized on behalf of his cabinet colleague. Later, Aleem Khan also apologized for his comments.
