KARACHI: The Sindh Assembly on Friday strongly protested the release of irrigation water to the Chashma-Jhelum link canal, calling it a violation of the inter-provincial agreement by the Indus River System Authority.

Expressing grave concern over depriving Sindh of its rightful water share, the house through a joint resolution demanded immediate suspension of the water diversion unless the Sindh government gives its consent.

The resolution was tabled out of turn by Senior Minister Nisar Ahmad Khuhro, who earlier drew the attention of the chair by raising a point of order, and after over a dozen speeches, including those by leaders of all parliamentary parties, it was adopted unanimously.

Mr Khuhro said when the Chashma-Jhelum link canal was built in the 1970s as a flood canal, an agreement was signed with Sindh that water to the canal could be released only with the consent of Sindh. But during the dictatorial rule of Gen Zia, Punjab Governor Gen Ghulam Jilani refused to accept the agreement and ordered water release.

According to the agreement, the minister said, the canal was supposed to get water released from the Tarbela Dam only after all barrages of Sindh got full supply.

He said the Sindh chief minister had given a written approval for the canal opening only for a specific short period. But with the opening of the canal at the start of the Kharif season, Sindh was being deprived of its rightful water share, he added.

It was unfortunate that the objection of Sindh to the move was overruled at a recent Indus River System Authority (Irsa) meeting, he said. Though water could not be taken away without the consent of Sindh, Irsa violated the agreement and followed the practice that used to be the practice during military regimes, he added.

He said that the KP government was not supporting the Sindh stand because Imran Khan wanted to construct the Kalabagh Dam.

Tracing the history of violation of the agreement, Muttahida Qaumi Movement parliamentary party leader Syed Sardar Ahmad recalled that the agreement was violated within two months by diverting water to the Thal canal.

Pakistan Muslim League-Functional lawmaker Mehtab Akbar Rashdi termed it the worst example of trust deficit. She said the role of Sindh representative in Irsa was questionable and asked the government to make him accountable.

Pakistan Peoples Party lawmaker Taimoor Talpur said there was no water at the tail-end areas of Sindh and said the federal government was treating this province like an enemy.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Dr Sikander Mandhro said that with the opening of CJ link canal, many Sindh areas were facing water shortage.

He said water was not being diverted from Tarbela to increase power generation but for Greater Thal Canal. He said it was no less than sheer tyranny that called for lodging protest.

Finance Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah said the 1974 agreement was violated with the signing of the 1991 accord, as water was being released to the greater Thal canal through the CJ link canal. He said the Sindh government would write a letter to the prime minister, demanding relief against violation of the 1991 accord.

Heer Ismail Soho of the MQM said the issue should be taken to the Council of Common Interests as well as to a court.

PPP lawmaker Nasir Hussain Shah recalled that the CJ link canal was not opened when the PPP was in power in the centre. Once Wapda opened this canal but had to close it within eight hours on the order of President Asif Ali Zardari, he added.

PML-N lawmaker Sorath Thebo said the issue of committing excesses against Sindh should be raised at every forum.

Sindh security bill Other business carried by the house during the day included adoption of the Sindh Security of Vulnerable Establishment Bill, 2015 in pursuance of the implementation of National Action Plan to curb terrorism.

Earlier, the Sindh Service Tribunals (second amendment) Bill, 2015 was introduced.

On the adjournment motion of PPP legislator Mujeebul Haq, Dr Mandhro gave the assurance to the house that the government would extend every cooperation for holding an impartial inquiry about the mysterious death of their senior staff Ali Nawaz in their house in Dadu. After the assurance, the lawmaker withdrew the adjournment motion.

In response to a short notice, Dr Mandhro informed the house that 36 schemes of the public sector development programme were under way in Sindh. They included K-IV water supply and S-III sewerage project.

He said the volume of amount of the schemes was Rs12 billion and Sindh had released its share. Deputy commissioners had been asked to identify schemes which had to be implemented in 61 constituencies in the province, he added.

He said the federal government would assist the Sindh government in the launch of Green Bus Channel that would ply under a public-private partnership.

In response to a call attention notice of Zafar Ahmad Kamali, Dr Mandhro said that the authorities concerned had allotted over nine acres of land in Mirpurkhas to an educational society at the rate of Rs1,000 per square yard but as the school was not built, notice had been issued to the society for its cancellation.

In reply to a notice of lawmaker Amir Haider Shah Shirazi, the special assistant to the chief minister for culture and tourism informed the house that renovation work on the historical Shahjahan mosque was in progress at a cost of Rs60 million. So far, he added, Rs22.3 million had been spent on the project.

After the completion of the business from the order of the day at 2.35pm, Speaker Siraj Durrani, who had called the house in order at 10.50am, called it a day to reassemble on April 27.

Published in Dawn, April 18th, 2015

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