HYDERABAD: Pakistan Peo­ples Party (PPP) Sindh information secretary Senator Aajiz Dhamrah on Tuesday warned the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) against further interference into the affairs of the irrigation department, and demanded release of water into the Rohri canal within a week. “Otherwise, we will launch a protest movement on a large scale,” he said.

He was speaking at a press conference held at the residence of former inspector general of police Ghulam Hyder Jamali in Qasimabad.

Other senior party activists including Aftab Khanzada, Ah­san Abro, Ali Akbar, Ali Hus­sain Jamote and Zulfiqar Bachani were present.

Senator Dhamrah vowed to raise the burning issue of Sindh on the floor of the upper house of the parliament during its next session, starting on Jan 22. “We could go to the extent of boycotting the [rest of the] session,” he added.He criticised NAB for harassing irrigation officials on the pretext of alleged corruption on their part vis-a-vis lining of Rohri canal.

Reopening of Rohri canal within a week demanded

He said NAB was free to investigate corruption cases but closure of the canal since Dec 18 due to the harassment of officers was unjustifiable.

“Rohri canal is spread over 200 miles and irrigates hundreds of thousands of acres of agricultural land in nine districts. A total of 2.6 million acres come under the canal’s command area,” he said, and questioned the canal’s abrupt closure without any valid reason. Explaining PPP’s stance on the issue, Senator Dhamrah said that lining of the canal was started under a pilot project and the work in an area Chanesar to Sakrand had been completed.

He said 500-600 cusec water was saved because of the lining which was enough to irrigated over 25,000 acres of barren lands. He argued that up to 1,500 cusec could have been saved had the lining work not been stopped.

“Ever since the decision to start the lining work was taken, NAB was repeatedly asked by the provincial government to keep doing its job or get it done by a third party,” he said, and regretted that instead, NAB resorted to apprehending a grade-17 officer and subjecting other officers to intimidation. NAB also got Rohri canal closed on Dec 18, i.e. much before the scheduled closure for annual cleaning.

The canal closure was causing huge losses to thousands of growers, he said, and demanded release of water as soon as possible.

The senator also condemned arrest of several irrigation officials and registration of cases against them since the start of the lining work.

Ironically, he observed, NAB did not come up with references against them two years on.

Published in Dawn, January 17th, 2018