ISLAMABAD:
A petition seeking to prevent a breakthrough between India and Pakistan on electricity was accepted by the Supreme Court on Thursday.
The court accepted the petition by the Watan Party despite objections by the Registrar’s office. The petition is against Pakistan accepting India’s offer of 5,000 megawatts (MW) of electricity to meet its energy requirements.
At the Nuclear Security Summit in March, India had formally offered Pakistan 5,000MW of electricity during a brief meeting between Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh and Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani. It was reported that Pakistan has accepted the offer, which will be formally responded to via diplomatic channels.
A two-member bench of the apex court, comprising Justice Ejaz Afzal and Justice Athar Saeed, was hearing the petitioner’s counsel Barrister Zafarullah Khan. Barrister Khan asked the court to stop the federal government from importing 5,000MW of electricity from India.
The petition stated that the deal will be “shameful” for Pakistan because India produces electricity from “stolen water from illegal dams”.
Due to this theft, Pakistan is facing scarcity of water for the Kharif crop, the petition said. Zafarullah Khan said that by buying Indian electricity, Pakistan would approve India’s theft and accept violations to the Indus Waters Treaty, 1960.
On Monday, the apex court directed the counsel for the petitioner to furnish the Indian Supreme Court’s judgment on rivers’ interlinking in 2005.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 6th, 2012.
COMMENTS (4)
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Now lets see some facts in the court. Not the propaganda that your politicians advocate. They are caught between a rock and a hard place. I request Express Tribune to follow this case further.
i dont understand one thing....lets agree for once that india steals water....
now the question comes....why doesnt any international body or agency take it into consideration??
The petition stated that the deal will be “shameful” for Pakistan because India produces electricity from “stolen water from illegal dams”.emphasized text Oh!! It would not be shameful if someone uses a lie as a pretext to put away any chances of peace with India and therefore development of Pakistan. God bless the land of pure as some of its citizens are very much preoccupied to keep the rest of the nation in dark ages and very much pushing it back into stone ages.... My hearty congratulations for the Pakistani courts to have actually even admitted this 'Petition'.........
Keep it up like this and no nation will want to have anything to do with the land of the pure. Until the pakistani civilians do not unite themselves on matter like whether India or USA are friends or enemies everything should stop.
Good luck Pakistan.