KARACHI: Leaders ask PM to seek consensus: Seminar on Thal canal
By Shamim-ur-Rehman
KARACHI, June 22: Participants of a seminar here on Sunday vehemently rejected the greater Thal canal project, termed it ‘illegal’ and demanded an immediate halt to the construction work. They called upon the prime minister to convene a round-table conference to resolve the issue.
Attitude of the federal and Punjab governments also came under criticism and the speakers described the project as a conspiracy to turn Sindh into a desert.
The seminar on Thal Canal, A Matter of Life and Death for Sindh was organized by Muttahida Qaumi Movement to discuss the inter-provincial dispute over water-sharing with particular reference to Thal canal project. It was attended by various political leaders and technocrats. This was intended to add force to the earlier resolution adopted by the Sindh Assembly against the project.
One of the resolutions adopted unanimously by the participants of the seminar maintained that the greater Thal canal project was illegal, and not mentioned in the 1991 water accord.
The resolution moved by the MQM coordination committee’s deputy convener, Ms Nasreen Jaleel, called for an immediately halt to the construction work on the project and for diverting the allocation of rupees one billion in the PSDP to the improvement in irrigation system. It also demanded that Renni canal project also be shelved and the amount allocated for it be spent on the improvement of the irrigation system in Tharparkar and Kohistan.
The participants maintained that the Thal canal project was a violation of the rights of the lower riparian and detrimental to the interests of Sindh.
They contended that while there was not sufficient water to cater to the needs of the lower riparian, then how could water be provided for the project area. They regretted that it was being done at the cost of Sindh’s due share.
Some of them pointed out that the Indus Water Treaty and other deals were concluded during the One-Unit period and that Sindh was not represented at the parleys. Whatever money Pakistan got as a result of the concession, it was spent on development projects in Punjab while no project was planned for Sindh, they said.
Technical experts maintained that owing to lack of flow of water downstream Indus, the sea was making inroads and a vast area had been converted into desert.
Addressing the seminar, provincial adviser on home affairs Aftab Shaikh said the project was undertaken without the approval of ECNEC. Because of such projects, he added, vast areas of Sindh were becoming barren whereas civilization was being affected adversely owing to the march of desert and rush of the sea.
He said that in the first phase, spread over five years, an amount of Rs2,148 billion was envisaged for the project whereas in the second phase Rs846 billion would be spent. The project would serve only four areas of Punjab — Leiyah, Bhakkar, Jhang and Khushab.
He said the project had been undertaken with tax-payer’s money, majority of which was contributed by Sindh. But the irony is that it is being used against the interests of the province, he added.
Mr Shaikh referred to various letters from the provincial government to the Centre expressing Sindh’s opposition to the project.
A former caretaker prime minister and chief of the National People’s Party, Ghulam Mustafa Jatoi, said the project would not affect Sindh alone but the entire country. If the matter was not resolved amicably, it could hit at the integrity of the country, he said. Recalling that there was no mention of the Thal canal in the 1991 accord, he said that he had accepted the accord for the sake of the country’s integrity.
Dr Hamida Khuhro (MPA) referred to Sindh’s dependence and claim on the Indus water and also cited the Indus Basin Treaty in her observations. She said that Chashma Link Canal was also not part of the treaty. The project, she added, had caused a serious breach of trust. She claimed that this very reason had split the country. She recalled that a former governor of Punjab, Shahid Hamid, had admitted to her that Punjab had deceived Sindh on water issue.
Imtiaz Shaikh of the SDA suggested that a delegation comprising representatives of the people of Sindh should visit Islamabad and Punjab to present its case. He said the project was aimed at destroying Sindh.
He regretted that at a time when the country needed unity, the statement made by the irrigation minister of Punjab was unfortunate and had threatened the country’s integrity.
The MQM’s parliamentary party leader in Sindh Assembly and finance minister, Syed Sardar Ahmed, said the construction of the Thal canal was a violation of the Constitution.
He said that it was not a sanctioned project. He clarified that the opponents of the Thal canal project were not against Punjab but were only demanding their rights. He referred the two resolutions of the Sindh Assembly this year and stressed the need for taking appropriate action for addressing concerns of the people of the province.
Abdul Wahid Arisar, general secretary of Jeay Sindh Mahaz (JSM), lashed out at the Punjab irrigation minister for accusing the opponents of Thal canal of working for the Indian lobby. He said that serious notice should be taken of such a deplorable mindset of those who were not prepared to respect the rights of smaller province.
Chairman of Jeay Sindh Qaumi Mahaz (JSQM) Bashir Qureshi said the exclusive rights of Sindh on the river Indus were recognized in the 1945 accord. He said that Punjab had lied to Sindh when it had stated that Chashma Link Canal was a flood canal. “They are saying the same thing again, which is totally wrong. We are not prepared to accept the assurances of Punjab.” he declared.
Mr Qureshi, criticizing Punjab minister’s statement, warned that if such humiliating attitude persisted, then the assembly which had passed Pakistan Resolution and opposed the GTC and Kalabagh, could also adopt a resolution on Sindhu Desh.
Mr Amin Khattak said that it was not right to irrigated Punjab by rendering a vast area of Sindh barren. He also criticised the mindset of Punjab leaders.
Various other participants traced the origin of conflict to the 19th century and said that Sindh had been suffering water shortage eversince the Punjab started raising dams, barrages, etc.
They referred to the Indian irrigation commission’s recommendations where it was stressed that as long as the people of Sindh had objections, no dam should be constructed.
They also pointed out that Punjab had, even at that time, opposed the construction of Sukkur Barrage on the Indus River. He referred to Rao Commission’s report and the water agreement of 1945 between Punjab and Sindh. According to the latter, 75 per cent of water from Indus was meant for Sindh and the remaining for Punjab.
Citing various clauses of the agreement, they said that owing to the denial of Sindh’s legitimate share, the province had lost 700,000 acres of cultivable land.
They were of the view that if such violations continued and projects like Thal canal were imposed on Sindh, there would be no trace of Indus River below Kotri.
