SENATE chairman Raza Rabbani has asked the Wapda chairman not to politicise Kalabagh dam. The latter is only trying to undo the harm that was done when it was proclaimed that Sindh would become a desert if Kalabagh dam was built, thereby turning the whole of Sindh against the dam.

He has also asked the Wapda chairman to understand what federalism means. Is it federalism for Sindh to lay full claim to all the waters of the Indus, including that stored in the dams.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa ministers are already saying that the power being generated at Tarbela dam belongs to KP. Are these trends strengthening the federation or are they strengthening the federating units and making the federation weak?

The rivers and dams belong to the nation, and the distribution of water and power is the responsibility of the federal bodies like Wapda and the Indus River System Authority. Any other way can only lead to trouble.

Khurshid Anwer

Lahore

Published in Dawn, August 29th, 2016