LARKANA: Pakistan Peoples Party Sindh president Nisar Ahmed Khuhro has said that induction of a federal member from Punjab instead of Sindh in Indus River System Authority (Irsa) will contravene the relevant laws.

Khuhro said in a press statement issued on Thursday that Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf-led federal government wanted to thrust its decision on Sindh by trampling over internationally recognised rights of lower riparian and pave the way for the construction of controversial reservoir project, Kalabagh dam.

He said that PPP would fight its case on all forums to frustrate federal government’s “evil designs”.

He reminded federal minister Faisal Vawda of his commitment that Sindh being at the tail-end had the first right to receive water and alleged that PTI government was preparing to throw Sindh’s water concerns into trash bin by not giving it representation on Irsa. “We respect courts and we have appealed to them to take notice of depriving smaller provinces of their due share in water,” he said.

He said that Sindh was already not getting its due share in water. As a result, over 10 million acres of fertile land in Badin and Thatta districts had turned infertile due to resulting sea intrusion.

The fact is that Sindh was already receiving less water than its share and the federal government’s move would further strengthen the impression that the Centre was likely to impose its decision on Sindh as the induction of Punjab-domiciled member as federal representative would tilt Irsa’s balance to the larger province’s favour, he said.

He said that the Centre should drop the idea of inducting federal member from Punjab to remove the impression as Sindh would not tolerate it.

Khuhro alleged that the Centre meted out step-motherly treatment to smaller provinces. The federal government was intolerant of PPP’s government in Sindh and that was why it was repeatedly “attacking” the province, he said.

Recently, he said, under Article 149 the federal government attempted to play with Sindh’s jurisdiction which followed “injustice” in National Finance Commission Award and now a new trick was on the cards to deprive Sindh of its due right in representation on Irsa. This spoke volumes of PTI-led government’s intention to ruin Sindh, he said.

He said that a strong Centre was linked with strong autonomous provinces but certain elements in PTI with myopic vision were out to damage the federation. If the prime minister truly supported smaller provinces’ rights then he should take notice of a federal minister’s statement regarding provinces’ representation on Irsa, otherwise PPP would be justified to take it as part of PTI’s policy.

Khuhro said that the Centre’s denial of smaller provinces’ rights would not be beneficial for it. If it happened, both the PTI government and the Centre would be responsible for peoples’ reaction.

He said that federal government had failed to announce new NFC award and at the same time it had cut Sindh’s share to the tune of Rs110 million, which had laid bare the federal government’s intentions that it wanted to “murder” Sindh economically.

He said that Sindh would not tolerate drastic cuts in NFC award and its due share in water and Sindh’s representation on Irsa. People should not be pushed towards the wall as it would only add to sense of deprivation among them.

Published in Dawn, October 11th, 2019