ISLAMABAD: The Senate passed on Monday a resolution asking the government to “revisit” the 56-year-old Indus Waters Treaty on water sharing with India.

The house adopted the resolution moved by PPP’s Dr Karim Ahmed Khawaja through a voice vote after Minister of State for Water and Power Abid Sher Ali opposed the move, terming it “impossible”.

The minister’s response angered some opposition members who accused the government of lacking will for resolving the issues which could even lead to a war between the two countries.

“Everything is possible if you have faith and will to do it,” said Tahir Mashhadi of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement. He stressed the need for revisiting the treaty as the country’s economy and agriculture had been suffering because of climate change and water scarcity.

Supporting the resolution, Farhatullah Babar and Sherry Rehman of PPP called for making the issue of Indus Waters Treaty a part of the “composite dialogue” with India. Ms Rehman said Pakistan was among top 10 water stressed countries of the world.

Newly appointed parliamentary leader of the ruling PML-N Mushahidullah Khan reminded the PPP leaders that former prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto had also played a role in the signing and implementation of the treaty which was signed by then military dictator Ayub Khan and Indian Prime Minister Jawahar Lal Nehru in 1960.

“The PPP assumed power four times since the signing of this treaty. Why did the party not include it in the agenda of the comprehensive dialogue with India?” Mr Khan asked.

The PPP senators said the situation and conditions had changed over the past 46 years and that the government should keep the future threat to the country in mind instead of reopening settled issues. Veteran PPP leader Taj Haider said Mr Bhutto had joined the Ayub Khan cabinet in 1962, two years after the treaty and that the former prime minister had once told them that there were some “secret clauses” in the treaty as well.

“This House recommends that (the) government should revisit Indus Waters Treaty 1960 in order to make new provisions in the treaty so that Pakistan may get more water for its rivers,” says the resolution read out by mover Mr Khawaja.

He said there were certain flaws in the treaty under which Pakistan had been given control of three western rivers and India over three eastern rivers.

Abid Sher Ali said the treaty could not be revisited without the consent of the two countries, adding that legal opinion should be sought on the issue and all clauses of the treaty reviewed before making any such demand.

Acting Chairman Abdul Ghafoor Haideri, however, put the resolution for a voice vote, ignoring the minister’s proposal.

The Senate also unanimously passed a resolution asking the government to purchase electronic voting machines to ensure holding of elections in a free, fair and transparent manner. The resolution was moved by Azam Swati of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf.

Women voting right bill

Earlier, Sherry Rehman introduced the Repres­entation of the People’s Amendment Bill 2016 which seeks to ensure women’s participation in all elections.

The bill did not face any opposition from the treasury benches and was referred to the committee concerned.

Ms Rehman argued that women had the right to vote in the general and local government elections under the Constitution and courts in a number of judgments had ruled that “the right to vote is a fundamental right and not a statutory right”.

She regretted that during every election there were reports about the bar on women’s voting under “verbal or written agreements”. Because of such practices, she added, women were being increasingly denied their right to vote, especially in remote areas.

She said the bill would make it mandatory for the Election Commission to order re-polling in the constituencies where women’s voter turnout would be less than 10 per cent. Moreover, she said, under the proposed law the people stopping women from casting votes would face criminal proceedings. She said she had moved the bill on the eve of International Women’s Day and it was hear­t­ening to see that the government was not opposing it.

The acting chairman also referred two bills — the National Counter Terrorism Authority (Amendment) Bill 2016 and the Contempt of Court (Amendment) Bill 2016 — to the committees concerned. Both were introduced by PPP’s Farhatullah Babar.

The Senate also passed a private member bill — Domestic Workers (Employ­ment Rights) Bill 2015 — moved by PPP’s Osman Saifullah.

Published in Dawn, March 8th, 2016