09 March 2004	Tuesday	17 Muharram 1425

ISLAMABAD, March 8: Senator Nisar Ahmad Memon, chairman of parliamentary committee on water resources said on Monday that 1991 Water Apportionment Accord should be implemented in letter and spirit.

Presiding over committee's meeting here, he said: "The 1991 Water Apportionment Accord was a sacrosanct document and opening a debate on it would lead to opening a Pandora's box."

Mr Memon emphasized that the need of the hour was to implement the accord in letter and spirit so that grievances of the provinces on sharing of Indus water were removed.

Earlier, chairman of IRSA gave a briefing on 1991 Accord to the committee. Mr Memon asked the provincial irrigation secretaries to present their suggestions to the committee so that a strategy could be devised for the resolution of conflicts between the provinces. The committee will again meet on Tuesday.

The meeting was attended by Senator Syed Dilawar Abbas, Senator Miss Aneesa Zeb Tahirkheli, MNAs Sher Akbar Khan, Jehangir Khan Tareen, Alsyed Abdul Qadir Jamaluddin Al-Gillani, A. N. G. Abbasi, chairman of technical committee on water resources, Amir Sultan Cheema, irrigation minister of Punjab, Maulana Attaullah, irrigation minister of Balochistan, chairman of IRSA, secretary ministry of water and power, provincial irrigation secretaries and officers of the departments concerned. -APP