January 18, 2006	Wednesday	Zilhaj 17, 1426

KARACHI, Jan 17: President Musharraf never intervened in the business of parliamentary and technical committees on water resources and always asked for justice to all the provinces while planning the future water reservoirs and distribution of water.

This was stated by Senator Nisar A. Memon, who headed the parliamentary committee on water, while speaking at a seminar titled “Challenges to Pakistan: resolution through national reconciliation”, organized by the Banyan-i-Pakistan Muslim League on Monday.

Nisar A. Memon said: “President Musharraf did not dictate us and provided us full opportunity to gather the facts and figures leading to realistic strategy on conservation and distribution of water.”

He said that all the four chief ministers, who were invited to attend a meeting of his parliamentary committee on water on July 20, 2004, had supported the construction of all the big dams. They also called for implementation of 1991 water accord in toto.

The technical committee on water, led by A.N.G. Abbasi, had also called for implementation of the same accord in letter and spirit, he said. Signed by all the eight members of his committee, the report had been submitted to the parliament. “We finished our national responsibility. Now it was the government’s job to further this agenda,” he said.

He said all the three big dams — Basha, Kalabagh and Akhori — were feasible.

Nisar Memon said: “Defence of national economy is essential for the defence of Pakistan and for this purpose we would have to rationalize and manage our water resources.”

He defended the studies so far done by WAPDA on water reservoirs as these also backed by the experts from international organizations. He said the water storage capacity of Mangla, Warsak and Tarbella dams had been reduced by 23 per cent and this would further reduce to 32 per cent by the year 2010.

He said every decision taken by President Musharraf including construction of big dams was in the supreme interest of the nation and the country.

“Being a soldier, General Musharraf had capability of taking all kinds of difficult decisions,” he remarked.

Senator Nisar A. Memon said that Balochistan issue would be resolved amicably and democratically to the satisfaction of all the stakeholders.

The former speaker of national assembly, Illahi Bakhsh Soomro, Senator Prof Ghafoor Ahmed, Arshad Ahmed, Qutbuddin Aziz, Rukkunddin Khan, MNA Fauzia Wahab, Admiral (Retd) Muzaffar, Syed Kabir Ahmed and Mehfoozyar Khan also spoke.—APP