Pakistan

‘If no water for Sindh, no port for Punjab’

Express July 11, 2010

KARACHI: Sindh can stop supplying gas to Punjab, block highways leading towards the province and cut its connection from seaports if Punjab tries to block its water, said Dr Kaisar Bengali, Adviser to Chief Minister on planning and development.

Addressing a seminar titled Democracy, Provincial Autonomy, Challenges and Future Prospects on Sunday, he said the decision of the Indus River System Authority (Irsa) acting chairman to open the Chashma-Jhelum link canal was a violation of the Irsa act.

This irrational attitude of the Punjab bureaucracy is not new, Bengali claimed, adding that they have been controlling more than their share of the nation’s resources.

“Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa would have no other option but to ink [transit] agreements with India if we cut off their link of Port Qasim and stopped supplying gas,” he said.

Punjab has forgotten that the province receives rainfall as all the clouds head towards to from Sindh, the adviser said with a smile.

The participants of the seminar resolved that the Chashma-Jhelum link canal should be closed and demanded for the federal government to honour its commitments and agreements regarding the distribution of the Indus waters.

They also claimed that the Irsa acting chairman should be punished for violating regulations.

He went on to say that Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) is now confined to Punjab and 50 per cent of the parliamentarians who have fake degrees belong to the party.

Meanwhile, Sindh Assembly Speaker Nisar Ahmed Khuhro said that the Sindh government has achieved the National Finance Commission (NFC) award after a 19-year struggle. The people opposing the government’s policies had signed the NFC award allotting only 37 per cent of the share to the provinces, he said, adding, “Credit should be given to the present government for giving 56 per cent share of the finances to the provinces.”

Published in The Express Tribune, July 12^th, 2010.

COMMENTS (21)

Hassan chaudhary | 14 years ago | Reply i love to see the version of Chief Minister Sindh and his cabinet on the CJ link canal. Earlier they were of the view that the canal is issue of their "Life and Death" and will not let it open at any cost. But now the CM say they have got enough water even after opening of the canal. besides, every one want to know about the element being hatched against PPP led government. Shah had promised that he will expose them within two days, which has almost been completed. I personally enjoy listing and viewing the versions of Sindh government. Keep it up Shah Saheb

Think therefore | 14 years ago | Reply And all this is happening in Sindh because Punjab is taking its share... how sad.... despite the fact that the IRSA has reps from all provinces... Provincial water shares are calculated on an agreed formula. Water discharge at the point of receipt in Sindh is measured. What the general sindhi is unware of is the fact that since land holdings are much larger in sindh and the fuedals much stronger... there is a lot of corruption in the use of the water. The formula decided by all the provinces does not account for this corruption and why should it... several independant consultants were hired to study how much water is needed to be dumped into the sea to keep it at bay.... their recommendations were scientifacally allocated in the distribution formula.... but why is Sindh hell bent on factoring in corruption losses into the formula... on a ligher note... sindh should fire the clouds with silver iodide before they cross over to punjab....

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Nina | 14 years ago | Reply Is Kaiser Bengali, the rain god? All provinces are suffering from agricultural lands turning into deserts, not just Sindh. As for those participants who favour one province over another they are anti-Pakistani. We are all in this together...so let's put our minds together and work out a feasible solution. Tanzeel, you are obviously intellectually bankrupt.

Tanzeel | 14 years ago | Reply Fair enough, time to give taste Punjab their own medicine.

Asif | 14 years ago | Reply Apart from the rain cloud part, everything which Dr Kaisar Bengali said is absolutely right. Punjab asked to build the Chashma-Jehlum linked on the point that it will be only opened during high floods to divert 'EXCESS' water from the Indus river to Jehlum river. Now the link canal is opened any time they wish, which is completely against the agreement. People are saying that we need more dams, but do we really need them ? Our current dams don't fill to their full, so whats the point of having new dams ? Building dams doesn't mean that they'd fill by themselves, you need water for that which we don't have. U.N has said that any country, province or state which is at the bottom end of the river, stream, etc has the right on the water of that river. So Punjab is completely wrong in claiming that the water in Indus river is their property. And to my friend who said that Sindh is getting 80% more cusec of water per acre of land then Punjab. I guess he should come and visit parts of western and southern Sindh, these areas are becoming desert. The Indus delta is being eaten by the sea, more then 15 Lakh acre of delta are is now under sea. And yet you say that Sindh is getting more water.

stefen | 14 years ago | Reply Hilarious statement that punjab recieves rainfall as a result of clouds passing over the sindh.

Think therefore | 14 years ago | Reply If Sindh expects KPK & Punjab to transit trade through India how will these provinces pay for it.... surely they can sell water to India in exchange for trade routes.... Sindh in retaliation could launch appeals for UN mediation and to drive their point home they could use silver iodide & dry ice to shoot at the clouds causing them to precipitate in Sindh... Would'nt that be something...

M.M.Iqbal | 14 years ago | Reply Unity, Faith, Discipline is our motto set by founder of Pakistan QA. If, anybody states which hurt integrity of Pakistan is neither sincere nor well wisher to his homeland.

Faisal Hameed | 14 years ago | Reply Water is the most blessed thing which nature have provided to the mankind. Without water, no life can be imagining on the planet where we are living. Mankind are living within borders for a very long time of now, due to which their trades of living have changed time to time. Unfortunately, our “Poli Tical” personalities are just stage actors, when ever they got the chance to act, they do. They have no knowledge, interest or even basic information like the needs of water for irrigation purposes in Sind, Punjab, Balochistan and Khyber-Pakhtoonkuwa.

Ammad | 14 years ago | Reply O'my God, is this one country?? Somebody tell them the situation of farmers in South Punjab. Nobody is blocking Sindh's water, and why would Punjab block it when all are brothers. There is not enough water to give to South Punjab which generates the highest agricultural revenue, why would Punjab block Sindh's.

Parvez | 14 years ago | Reply How can Sindh demand water when it is against building water storage dams?

Asif Khan | 14 years ago | Reply If this is true than the headline is dangerous believe me and it seems that two enemies are talking. What kind of this news is. What they are trying to achieve by talking like this. Are we talking for solutions or aggravating situations which can leads to dangerous point. It is clearly shows the intension to take this matter and divert it to some fight between provinces instead of solution of this problem. In last I would urge with all these gentlemen talk with maturity and at least give examples for the sake of discussion which have some linkage or sense with the matter.

aamir | 14 years ago | Reply The statement of Dr Kaisar Bengali, that "Punjab has forgotten that the province receives rainfall as all the clouds head towards to from Sindh", is ridiculous.

Abdul Rasheed Qureshi | 14 years ago | Reply This statement of Bangali reflects that our politicians especially Sindhi Jageerdars have decided to not let the countrymen to progress as they always objected any that move, which could lead the country towards progress. Shame on such experts and politicians. Pakistan is our country and we have nothing to do with provincialism such as Punjabis, Pahthans, Balochs or Sindhis. we are just Pakistanis and these idiot politicians wanted to restrict us to only provinces. Shame on Bangali

chona | 14 years ago | Reply Dont try to make storm in teacup..............

Shahzad | 14 years ago | Reply There is something seriously wrong with IRSA, including the basis on which water share is calculated. Reports suggest that Sind gets almost 80% more cusecs of water per acre of land than what is allocated for Punjab. If this is true than the water shares must be reallocated with equal number of cusecs per acre for land under cultivation in Sind and Punjab. South Punjab has the same low water soil content as Sind, yet it gets less water, because of the unfair allocation. The basis of water allocation needs to made public and the shares be adjusted fairly, with no province getting any favors, whether it is Sind or Punjab. The manner in which Qaiser Bengali has talked shows that he is not capable to handle the job assigned to him.

Parvez | 14 years ago | Reply It is sindh card every time, all the time. Control over clouds is really funny. If Sindh is serious then withdraw from council of common interest and all federal institutions.

Haleem Lashari | 14 years ago | Reply how any one trust on Punjab led government's promise that dams will be built for energy purpose. i tnink they have some hidden agenda behind building the dams. how any one can trust on the promises, which are being breached with each passsing days. when the Chashma Jelum Link canal was made as flood canal, but whether it surplus water in river indus or actue shortage the canal is opened and now they are giong to construct power plant on it !!!!!!!!!.

Shah | 14 years ago | Reply finally someone grew a pair.

Malik Tariq Ali | 14 years ago | Reply For past 30 years, the provinces in Pakistan have failed to arrive at a consenses to build a dam. Politics has dominated this issue. Meanwhile India has been building dams. This means less water for Pakistan and all its provinces. The worse is still to come. This country needs to set aside politics and arrive at a consensus to build a dam, or else be ready for worse water shortages on a scale that this country has never witnessed before. What Pakistan needs is a statesman of the calibre of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto. Unfortunately the type that are at the helm in power or in opposition, lack the capability and committment to tackle this issue on a priority basis. If we fail to reach a consensus to build a large reservoir, this problem will become more acute. I fail to understand why people are fighting on water, when they are instrumental for creating the shortage in the first instance. Instead of fightning, let the provinces resolve the problem that is the cause of this all. This democratic parliament owes it to the people of Pakistan to resolve this issue.

Malik Tariq Ali | 14 years ago | Reply The PPP needs to understand that it is a federal party and its advisor to CM Sindh cannot talk in this arbitrary manner. This reflects the immaturity within the ranks of PPP. There is definetely a problem, which needs political negotiations, not threats that border on insanity.

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