LAHORE: At the fifth provincial cabinet meeting on Sunday, Chief Minister Chaudhry Parvez Elahi expressed his disappointment with the federal government’s failure to sign an agreement with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) on the Greater Thal Canal Project. The chief minister stated that the federal government’s inefficiency was wasting a $1 billion surplus of foreign exchange from the national exchequer and that if an agreement with the ADB was made again, the cost would more than double. He said that by refusing to reach an arrangement with the ADB, the federal government not only neglected Punjab but also the country.

He characterized the federal government’s actions as “economic murder” of Punjab farmers, adding that the federal government’s behaviour equals to sabotaging efforts to make Punjab a food basket.

“Had the Greater Thal Canal Project been in place, farmers would have received surplus water, becoming self-sufficient in wheat, resulting in wheat not being imported and billions of dollars saved,” he said, adding that the Punjab government would go to any length to get its dues and that people who are harming the country cannot maintain the falling economy.

During the meeting, the decision to constitute a joint investigation team under section 19(1) of the Anti-Terrorism Act of 1997 about the Model Town tragedy was endorsed. The meeting approved the fast-track launch of a waste-to-energy project to provide cheap electricity to industries and directed the local government, energy, and industry departments to collaborate in this regard.

Ministers say Punjab to execute project through other means

The cabinet also approved a grant in aid for the Journalists Housing Society of Faisalabad and the payment of outstanding dues to retired Justice Shabbar Raza Rizvi in a one-man inquiry tribunal. Approval was granted for the transfer of industrial and residential unit condonation fees, which have been set at 50%, as well as fixing the time period, automating stamp duty, lifting a ban on e-stamping recruitment, and increasing the expenditure cost of the PICIIP project in Sahiwal.

The decisions made during the first four cabinet meetings were also endorsed. Up to 17 provincial ministers, advisers, special assistants, chief secretary and senior officials attended the meeting. Provincial ministers Dr Yasmeen Rashid, Murad Raas, Hussain Jahania Gardezi, Raja Yasir Humayun, Latif Nazir, Khayal Ahmad Kastro, Amir Saeed Rawn and others attended the meeting via video link.

Later, at a press conference, Irrigation Minister Hashim Dogar and Finance Minister Mohsin Khan Leghari pledged to keep the Greater Thal Canal project alive by completing it through their own resources if the federal government declined to play its role in the funding of the irrigation scheme first planned over a century ago.

“If Islamabad sacrifices the project at the altar of political expediency, Lahore has other options to keep the project alive by allocating its own resources to continue constructing the water channel,” Mr Dogar said.

He added that the people of Punjab were being deprived of their rights by the federal government’s obstruction of the completion of the project. He said that obstructing the development of Khushab, Layyah, Bhakkar, Jhang and Muzaffargarh districts was tantamount to conspiring against Punjab as well as the national agriculture.

The Punjab government would not allow the economic murder of Punjab farmers, he added, and the project would continue.

He said that the completion of this project would not only provide irrigation facilities to 175,000 acres of land but also increase the annual agricultural production by 2.25 million tonnes, ushering in a new era of development in the five districts.

Mr Leghari said that if wars in the 20th century were fought over oil, in the 21st century, they would be fought over water resources.

He said that Punjab is the only province that has been working on developing and conserving its water resources.

He said that the ADB had committed to financing the project, and all legal requirements and documentation work had been completed for the purpose. The ADB has informed Islamabad that the $200 million loan for the project would lapse on Dec 13 (tomorrow) if it did not sign the agreement by then.

He warned that the province as well as the country would suffer if the federal government refused to sign the loan agreement, as Pakistan, despite being an agrarian country, would continue to import agricultural produce instead of becoming food secure.

Published in Dawn, December 12th, 2022