War over water War over water
Monday, June 29, 2009
The News International, Pakistan, Monnday, June 29, 2009
In a rare show of unity, parliamentarians from the PML-N and PML-Q put aside an often acrimonious rivalry to jointly oppose a proposal from the president that the water in the Taunsa-Punjnad canal be reduced or that it be closed to increase the flow of water to Sindh. This of course would cut down water to Punjab. The outcry against the suggestion is a familiar one. Disputes over water have in the past too locked provinces against each other. Indeed unresolved issues on this matter linger on. The titanic battle over the Kalabagh Dam – a project that has now been abandoned – was one example of how high feelings run. There have been fierce protests too in Sindh over the building of other waterways that would benefit Punjab but reduce flow in the Indus, affecting the southern province. The fierce onslaught launched by both factions of the PML brought a defensive response from the PPP. Raja Riaz, the leader of the opposition in the Punjab Assembly and also the provincial irrigation minister, vowed to resign if even ‘one per cent of water’ in the canal was reduced. The raising of the matter in the House indeed appeared to have caught the party, with which the president is still affiliated, rather off guard.
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In a rare show of unity, parliamentarians from the PML-N and PML-Q put aside an often acrimonious rivalry to jointly oppose a proposal from the president that the water in the Taunsa-Punjnad canal be reduced or that it be closed to increase the flow of water to Sindh. This of course would cut down water to Punjab. The outcry against the suggestion is a familiar one. Disputes over water have in the past too locked provinces against each other. Indeed unresolved issues on this matter linger on. The titanic battle over the Kalabagh Dam – a project that has now been abandoned – was one example of how high feelings run. There have been fierce protests too in Sindh over the building of other waterways that would benefit Punjab but reduce flow in the Indus, affecting the southern province. The fierce onslaught launched by both factions of the PML brought a defensive response from the PPP. Raja Riaz, the leader of the opposition in the Punjab Assembly and also the provincial irrigation minister, vowed to resign if even ‘one per cent of water’ in the canal was reduced. The raising of the matter in the House indeed appeared to have caught the party, with which the president is still affiliated, rather off guard.
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Labels: PML(N), PML(Q), Water Accord
posted @ 9:49 AM,
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