ISLAMABAD, Dec 2: The technical committee on contentious water issue led by ANG Abbasi is likely to become functional by next week, subject to resolution of some key issues like financial, logistical and infrastructure problems.

Power minister Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao has invited A.N.G Abbasi on Dec 8 to sort out details of the committee’s functioning. Mr. Abbasi is also expected to attend the meeting of parliamentary committee on water resources led by Senator Nisar A. Memon which meets on Dec 9 in the parliament house.

Sources in the power ministry told Dawn that Mr Abbasi had asked the government to provide an office and secretarial support but the ministry did not have the finances to oblige.

The committee could not start functioning also because of indecisiveness of the government whether or not the chairman of the committee should have a status of the federal minister and to whom should the committee report. Mr Abbasi is expected to call on the President and the prime minister to resolve these problems, these sources said.

When contacted, A.N.G Abbasi told Dawn by telephone from Karachi that relevant infrastructure had not been made available so far and so was the problem of logistics of the committee members.

He said tentatively he would be visiting Islamabad by December 5 but the date of his meeting with the power minister has been scheduled for December 8. He hoped that details would be sorted out at December 8 meeting so that committee could move ahead as early as possible. He said that some details might be settled at “the higher level”.

When asked about his status as chairman of the committee, he said it was also an important issue and needed to be resolved. Mr Abbasi said that it would be the discretion of the Prime Minister to give recommendatory or mandatory status to the report of the committee but said in any case the committee’s recommendations would be given enough importance.

President General Pervez Musharraf had announced to constitute two committees — Parliamentary and Technical — on contentious water issues like construction of big dams.

The parliamentary committee led by Senator Nisar Memon and technical committee led by A.N.G Abbasi (both from Sindh) are required to submit their reports latest by June 2004.

The eight-member parliamentary committee has already held its first meeting and is scheduled to meet again on December 9. This committee has approved TORs provided by the government and had announced review of all water accords of the past to come up with a comprehensive roadmap for the future.

The technical committee could not hold its first meeting as yet. Its other members from Sindh are Additional Secretary Irrigation Department Sardar Mughal and a technical expert Dr Iqbal.

Punjab Irrigation Advisor Chaudhry Mazhar and Consultant M.H. Siddiqi represent Punjab while former Wapda chairman Shamsul Mulk and Sardar Tariq are members from the NWFP. Former Irsa members Azam Baloch and Abdul Razzak represent Balochistan in the 10-member committee.