PPP Warns of Protest Against Controversial Canals Project,Demands Federal Government’s Withdrawal.
Saba Noor
PPP Warns of Protest Against Controversial Canals Project,Demands Federal Government’s Withdrawal.
KARACHI:
Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Sindh President Nisar Ahmed Khuhro has welcomed President of Pakistan Asif Ali Zardari’s opposition to the controversial canals project, urging the federal government to immediately withdraw from the plan, Otherwise, he warned, the PPP would launch a protest movement against it.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, Khuhro said that President Zardari’s stance had put to rest allegations levelled by opponents of double standards against the PPP. He said that the constitutional forums for approval of any project related to water disputes are such as the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC), the National Economic Council (NEC), and the Council of Common Interests (CCI) not the Presidency.
He said that no approval for these canal projects had been granted by these constitutional forums.
Khuhro pointed out that during the caretaker government, the Indus River System Authority (IRSA) had issued a No Objection Certificate (NOC) for availability of additional water in an unconstitutional manner, to which the Sindh government strongly objected and referred the matter to the CCI. He reiterated that the PPP has always been the strongest opponent of the canal project and the Sindh government is fully prepared to fight Sindh’s case at all constitutional forums.
He further criticized the federal government for failing to convene a CCI meeting despite repeated requests from Sindh, stressing that under Article 153 of the Constitution, a CCI meeting must be held every three months. He accused the federal government of violating the Constitution for not calling the meeting by neglecting provincial concerns.
Khuhro asserted that no canal can be constructed without provincial consent, yet the federal government had unilaterally pushed forward with the controversial project, further alienating smaller provinces. He called on the government to heed public concerns and withdraw the canal project to prevent unrest; otherwise, the PPP would launch a protest movement against it.
He also raised concerns over IRSA’s contradictory actions, noting that while the authority warns of severe water shortages, it is unclear where water for these canals would come from.
He said Sindh has fear that Chashma-Jhelum Link Canal and Taunsa-Panjnad Link Canal are originally flood canals, and these both flood canals will be continuously operated to provide water to Cholistan canal by diverting Sindh’s share of water and turning the province barren.
Khuhro criticized IRSA for rejecting Sindh’s constitutional demands based on a federal and Punjab-majority decision and demanded from federal government for inclusion of a Sindh representative in the federal membership of IRSA.
Khuhro urged the federal government to Release 10 million acre-feet 10(MAF) of water in Kotri downstream and ensure water distribution according to the 1991 Water Accord (Para 2).
He demanded Installation of a telemetry system to monitor water flow from Taunsa to Guddu Barrage to curb water theft and to stop the continuous operation of Chashma-Jhelum and Taunsa-Panjnad Link Canals, which should only be used during floods.
Khuhro warned that failure to address these concerns would lead to strong resistance from the PPP and the people of Sindh.
