HYDERABAD: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Governor Faisal Karim Kundi has called for convening a meeting of the Council of Common Interests to decide all [contentious] issues, including water, and lamented that his province has not received its share in water since the day the 1991 Water Accord has come into force nor has it ever been given royalty for the use of its water by state or a province.

He was speaking to journalists here on Thursday during his visit to venue for the public meeting at Hatri bypass where the Pakistan Peoples Party was organising the major event to commemorate the 17th anniversary of the Oct 18 Karsaz tragedy.

Accompanied by Senior Sindh Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon, the governor said that KP did not get its share of water under the water accord while all the three provinces were receiving theirs.

“Reni, Kachhi and Thal canals [also] have been built but KP didn’t even get any monetary share for its water being used by state or any province. We want all provinces to receive their share in water as per accord,” he said.

Calls for convening CCI meeting to decide all issues

He was more specific when answering a question by Dawn reporter saying “KP is [only] discussed in the backdrop of terrorism and we are not given our rights. Are we [KP] getting monetary assistance for the water used by a province, be it Sindh, Balochistan or Punjab since the passage of 1991 Accord? Do we get royalty for it? Obviously, we didn’t get any,” he said.

“We [PPP] have a strong presence in CCI with two chief ministers of Balochistan and Sindh. I think both the CMs should write to federation asking it to convene CCI meeting where solution to the water issue can be found,” he said.

Kundi said that PPP held chair of the relevant standing committee in KP Assembly and its chairman had recently written a letter to federal government urging it to hold CCI’s meeting. The proposed amendment did not include any clause on new canals, he clarified.

He expressed concern over law and order situation in KP where he said militants controlled roads after sunset but it was not covered by mainstream media.

He asserted that political forces had signed the jirga document and vowed to abide by its decision on condition that it was in line with constitution, otherwise PPP was not supposed to support it.

He lauded Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari for getting Chashma Right Bank Canal approved now but it would certainly take time.

Sharjeel Memon said that PPP’s stance over new canal was very clear, the party had taken up the issue and recorded protest over it at every federal forum.

“PPP does want establishment of federal constitutional court but the party chairman also thinks that all political forces should have consensus over it. Hence the chairman talked to all political parties including JUI-F.

“It is not just about numbers game or vote. No political party should remain estranged [from the legislation process]. All political parties, be it PTI or Mengal saheb’s party, should be taken on board for legislation,” he said.

Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari himself shared his viewpoint on the proposed amendment with bar associations and those who were out of the assemblies.

He made it clear it was not a person-specific amendment, and said it was PTI leader who was behind one judge. Pakistan witnessed its blackest era in judiciary’s history when the apex court was headed by the likes of Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry, Saqib Nisar and Umar Atta Bandial, he said.

Memon said that he would talk to the party leader who had announced protest on Oct 18 against canals’ project on Indus River. Oct 18 event would be historic when PPP would break its own record of historic jalsas, he said.

Published in Dawn, October 18th, 2024